{I feel pretty}

We live in a world that is based upon looks & appearances. Everyone is always looking for the next big trend or the next hottest item. We adorn ourselves with perfume & jewels. I'm not going to say that I don't like dressing up & looking nice, because I do, but lately I've realized I have spent more time working on the appearance that humans see & not the heart which God sees. Which has all led me to the question:

Which is prettier: your heart or your makeup. 

Living in today's world, we are taught by the American society that skinny is pretty. Rich is pretty. Stupid is pretty. But do money and looks get you into Heaven? We base our lifestyles off of what we see in the media. Shows like Jersey Shore and the Bachelorette teach us that the only way to have fun is to get drunk & that you can be paid to fall in love. Let's be real, life is so much more than that. It is so much more beautiful that what the media portrays it to be. We have this image of "pretty people" & the "fabulous lifestyle" so deeply implanted in our heads that it is virtually impossible to think ourselves as the best version of us & we constantly want improvement. But why are we so focused on being pretty on the outside when we can be gorgeous on the inside? 1 Samuel 16:7 says, "But the Lord said to Samuel, 'Do not look at his appearance or the height of his stature, for I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as the man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.'" Simple enough, right? But with everyone so judgmental about the way we look, always focusing on our flaws instead of the beautiful features we were given. Everyone is beautiful in their own way, but we all have difficulty seeing that in each other, & ourselves.

We cake on makeup & put on our best dress just to go to the grocery store. & I'm sorry to say this, honey, but you're not going to get that great of a workout of you plan on going to the gym in heals, it just doesn't work that way. I have recently been thinking that we use this makeup to mask ourselves, to try to make ourselves more attractive & flawless. This makeup has become a security blanket for us to hide behind, I'm guilty of this too. I go through makeup like there's no tomorrow because I don't want people to see if I've got a zit or bags under my eyes. Instead of focusing on the natural beauty that I got blessed with, I try to cover it up because it's not perfect. Your beauty should be deeper than your makeup. Deeper than your outward appearance.

God looks at your heart, not your face or designer clothing. He looks at the simple thing that keeps you alive. So people, try not to focus on what society expects you to be, focus on what God wants you to be.

Peace & love.
B.