"You're beautiful," she said, "I saw you worshipping today and you just radiated with this real, genuine, inside-out beauty. God's beauty. It really blessed me."
She was a (non-weird) middle-aged woman who noticed me at church. I wasn't standing at the front of the stage...probably in one of the back rows of a 40-person choir. I wasn't wearing sparkles, bright color or a ballgown. But this woman noticed me for some strange reason.
This scene happened a few years ago and I still remember it. It wasn't the first time I heard that I was beautiful, pretty, hot, or gorgeous. I'm definitely not perfectly beautiful by the world's standards (e.g. I'm not 5'10" or taller, a size 2 with perfect hair, fake boobs and a perpetual tan)...but I'm not chopped liver either.
I think I remember this compliment partially because she said it with no ulterior motive (I didn't know her well and she wasn't a single guy trying to impress me). But I also remember it because of her strange-sounding verbiage--"inside-out beauty."
Reading Luke 1 today reminded me a bit of that moment. Mary encountered a similar situation with the angel Gabriel who told her:
Good morning!
You're beautiful with God's beauty,
Beautiful inside and out!
God be with you.
In no way am I trying to put myself on the same level as Mary. But I think the whole concept of inside-out beauty is interesting...and Mary exemplified it so much better than I ever could.
I can't imagine being in her shoes.
Can you think of what it would have felt like to tell people, "No, I didn't sleep with my fiancee--this baby is God's Son." Can you imagine the reactions people had to that statement? They probably thought she was crazy, lying or a slut (to be blunt). Pregnancy or sex before marriage was pretty non-existent back then. If it happened, it was definitely hush-hush and shameful. Mary probably received lots of dirty looks and snide comments. Some of her friends and family members might have disowned her. She wasn't perfect--she probably had days when she cried (heck, she was a pregnant woman in the desert with no A/C, pizza or DQ Blizzards on demand).
Here's her response:
I'm the Lord's maid, ready to serve.
Let it be with me
just as you say.
Wow. Mary's inside-out beauty was exemplified by her love for God and willingness to serve Him and His purpose. She was unselfish--risking her life and comfort to carry Jesus. But her desire to please God trumped her desire to please people. That's beautiful.
Tomorrow: Luke 2-3
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