Beauty in the eyes of God
By Julia Fernandes
November 19, 2011
"Physical beauty can be taken from you in a flash." Anonymous
Everything in life is so transient and that includes beauty. When you are beautiful you have the whole world drawn towards you, but when your beauty is snatched away from you in the most unexpected moment, the world changes around you.
I knew beauty, looks and youth are all fleeting in nature and are bound to be lost in due course of time. What I was not prepared to handle was losing it in the most unexpected way and time!
And it is not an easy process getting acquainted with your own new face. It takes time to recognize the new person you see in the mirror.The first time I looked at myself after my accident, I just could not recognize myself. I played hide and seek with the mirror for some time, till I gradually got familiar and got around to liking my new funny look.
Sometimes, physical beauty can overshadow everything else that can be wonderful about you. However, love is the greatest thing God could ever make. For it is only love that enables us to transcend the physical characteristics and accept each other for our intrinsic value. It is real and pure love that enables us to see the beauty in the non-beautiful things and people around us.
One of my very old ex-colleagues had burn injuries scars on her face, neck and arms that were very prominent. I asked her why did she not opt for cosmetic surgery and this is the reply she gave me, “My husband has accepted me the way I am. He does not want me to go through the ordeal of surgery.”
Another friend of mine is deeply in love with a guy, who is blessed with below average looks. People always ask her what she saw in him. And her answer is the same. When you are in love, that person, no matter how he or she looks simply becomes the most beautiful and handsome person in your eyes. Love gives her the wonderful gift to see the beauty in him which the world cannot see.
When I was beautiful I saw God’s perfect craft on my face and when I became less than beautiful I saw God’s perfect grace in me, which made me realize that beauty is just a temporary gift that can be taken away any time. But the real gift that stays with you all your life (and can never be taken) is the ability to love God with all your heart, which in turn gives you the grace to love, respect and care for others, thus, making you grow into a beautiful soul.
A beautiful face can take you places on earth, but a beautiful soul can take you places in heaven, for while the former catches the eyes of people on earth, it is a beautiful spirit and heart that catches the eyes of God!