Learning to Be You, Love

When I consider your heavens,

the work of your fingers,

the moon and the stars,

which you have set in place,

what is mankind that you are mindful of them,

human beings that you care for them?

You have made them a little lower than the angels

and crowned them with glory and honor. - Psalm 8:3-8 

Then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature. 

- Genesis 2:7

Did you know that you are made from the flames of dying stars, freshly turned dark soil, crisp cool falling rain, raw jewels and gemstones hidden in the bowels of the earth, robust trees stretching limbs to the skies, and the eternal hurricanes that rage on Jupiter? Yes, all these are made from the same basic elements as you and me.

Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations. - Jeremiah 1:5

Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer,

who formed you from the womb:

“I am the Lord, who made all things,

who alone stretched out the heavens,

who spread out the earth by myself, - Isaiah 44:24

Did you also know that everything from the sound of your voice to the shape of your hips were determined long ago by generations of love and yearning? Literally billions of souls came together to ultimately bring you in the world. You had an ancestor who walked the earth, was born, loved, lived, and died with the same nose, hair color, eye shape, toes (or all of the above) as you.

You brought my inner parts into being; You wove me in my mother’s womb. I will praise you, for You made me with fear and wonder; marvelous are Your works, and You know me completely. My frame was not hidden from You when I was made in secret, and intricately put together in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw me unformed, yet in Your book all my days were written, before any of them came into being.  - Psalm 139:13-16 

By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.  - Hebrews 11:3 

For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things have been created through Him and for Him.  - Colossians 1:16

Now, as you read this today, one of many protagonists in an epic adventure that started with a void and will end with golden roads, you, lovely you, have been chosen to be a child of a supernatural, eternal King of All. You were formed with His hands into just what He wanted, just what He felt was beautiful, and just what He felt the world needed. You are His masterpiece.

I felt the desperate need to share this with you, and maybe He wants YOU to know just what you mean to HIM.




***

Is the King Enthralled by Your Beauty?

Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. - 1 Peter 3:3-4

There's nothing wrong with external beauty or making yourself look nice. It's just not important in anyway. A well-dressed businessman is not more than a mismatched cashier is not more than a filthy homeless woman. "Cleanliness is next to Godliness," is not a Biblical verse, and just because you walk into a church with your Sunday finest, you're not morally superior to the milk-stained-torn-shirt lady sitting in the back row. You both showed up to learn, and only your fruits can tell you apart.

Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. - Proverbs 31:30

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” - 1 Samuel 16:7

Consider God the Father's appearance. Yes, think upon what He looks like. Can you imagine Him? Not the fake, white bearded man books and movies like to make Him appear to be. I mean, what does He really look like?

As I looked, thrones were placed, and the Ancient of Days took his seat; his clothing was white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool; his throne was fiery flames; its wheels were burning fire. - Daniel 7:9

Hmmm... maybe He does have white hair. Nothing much else is clear about His appearance.

Okay, but consider Jesus. He walked among us. We obviously would know what He looks like, right? No, not artist interpretations with the long brown locks. Do you know true His appearance? Surely, they described Him in detail in the New Testament... No?

For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. - Isaiah 53:2

Okay... doesn't say much. We can assume some things. Jesus was a Jew in first century Judaea, and according to anthropology, Jews in Israel at that time were biologically closest to Iraqi Jews now. So, he probably was olive skinned with dark hair and dark eyes just like the rest of His family (Matthew 1:1-17). He blended in a crowd, easily lost when He desired in the masses (Luke 4:30). So, He probably didn't look too different from everyone else. As a carpenter with first century tools, He was likely muscular, at least somewhat. That's about all we got. Basically, He could look like just about anyone.

Yet, we "see" God everyday.

For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. - romans 1:20

But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish in the sea inform you. Which of all these does not know that the hand of the LORD has done this? In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind. - job 12:7-10

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. - Psalm 19:1

We know Him by His "invisible qualities," the fruit of His works, the love He bestows on us, and the beauty He suffuses the world with His power. Even the writers of the Bible knew that His literal appearance made no difference to the message He carries.

Yet He is said to have created us in His image.

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. - Genesis 1:26-27

So, we look alike? That's hardly what this verse is saying. Maybe we do. Maybe we don't. That's unimportant. We were made in the spirit of His truth and love, and we are to follow Him in His ways. This is how we were made in His image. He expects us to continue as we represent Him here on Earth.

For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.- Psalm 139:13-14

I also want the women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, adorning themselves, not with elaborate hairstyles or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, but with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God. - 1 Timothy 2:9-10

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. - 2 Corinthians 4:16

In a wedding song amongst the Psalms, we the church are compared to a bride marrying the king, in this case the King of the Universe:

Listen, daughter, and pay careful attention:
Forget your people and your father’s house.
Let the king be enthralled by your beauty;
honor him, for he is your lord. - Psalm 45:10-11

God isn't enthralled in our outer beauty. He appreciates it, as with anything beautiful that He's created, but that's more for us than Him. The beauty He is enthralled by lives within you, in a heart filled with His hope and love for others.

You are altogether beautiful, my darling; there is no flaw in you. - Songs of Songs 4:7

The beauty of a life well-lived, serving others and spreading the good news of His salvation, is something we need to learn to appreciate more than external qualities. In many ways, the beauty that we see are shadows of what lives within us as Children of God.

"How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the one who brings news of peace, who announces good things, who announces salvation, who says to Zion, "Your God reigns!' - Isaiah 52:7

Oh, for God to open our eyes to see the world as He does! Let us openly appreciate the enthralling, gorgeous light we see in others.




Sources other than Bible:
https://www.bibleinfo.com/en/questions/what-did-jesus-look-like
https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/books/what-did-jesus-really-look-like-as-a-jew-in-1st-century-judaea-1.3385334