Where? That's my question. Where does beauty come from? Why does it come from there? How long will it last?

Beauty.. some say that it is an attractive thing.. and yes, it is. But a lot of people are confused about it, at least, I think so. A lot of people think that this thing of attractfulness can only be physical.. but to tell you the truth, that's not beauty at all.. With technology now, you can easily change the appearance of your physical body to become this false beauty, but the thing is, beauty is a reflection of something more, something deep within one's soul, something that we as human cannot fully understand, but only catch a glimpse of it as it walks by on a mountaintop. It's the smile you receive in a place that's cold and un-loving, and the feeling that small shimmer of a passionate being in such a hateful place as this world is more than uplifting; it's moving. It causes us to stop, to sit there and actually realize what just happened: that person smiled at me.. I don't even know them, why did they do that? I'm glad they did, though.. that's the joy and beauty that matters. A certain clothing size of a person or the appearance of hair has no standing on this kind of beauty. Why?

Think about it.. when you age, that beauty generally disperses, and what was once a beautiful being by looks, is now a spiteful creation that only concentrates on the past, dreaming of what once was. The other, though, the one who has that passionate soul, that love for others that goes beyond the physical, that attraction that nothing else can match, that's beauty.

It's the girl who waves at you each day in the hall to make yourself smile, and also gives you a "loved" and "noticed" feeling. It's the man who smiles and allows you to step in front of him in some line in some area. It's the friend you know will always be with you, even when you're a jerk to them. It's the parent who loves you, even though you did something that got you grounded for a some number of weekends. It's the Savior who hung down from a dying cross and said "I love you."

God says, "Follow me, and you will see the Glory of God." He takes you to the highest mountain, and says, "Trust in Me. You'll be okay." You leap off the mountain, and suddenly you're swept through a valley, over which you see a beautiful rain forest filled with hundreds of visually stunning birds, amazing looking creatures. All of it is below you, you can hardly even make out the figures of each invidual creature.
He lifts you out of the valley as you continue flying forward, and over a vast ocean with dolphins and whales coming to the surface to see you. You are suddenly pulled under the water, but yet you can still breath. Swirling lights come around you, but you are not scared, cause He has His hands on you, guiding you through the water. You jet past several coral reefs at an alarming speed, but not too alarming because He's there. He's smiling at your immediate fascination with all that your eyes are trying to focus on. You feel weightless, even more than when you were over they valley. Millions of fish are swirling around you, all adding to the satisfaction that you know this is real, that He will always be there for you, and that this will one day never end.
You leave the ocean and its great depths, and travel over the tallest mountains and the lowest plains, all the while observing the many amazing creations of our God. Suddenly, you are brought through a subdivision, a small town, and a familiar one at that. You arrive at a familiar house, and very familiar room. Your eyes focus on yourself, stuck in your own sin. He releases you, lets you float down in front of your sinful self, and then says, "I made this world, and it's beauty. You can stay here, stuck in your own sin, or be free of it and come with Me, and see more of the beauty that I have saved, just for you."

You know.. I was stuck there, yeah, right there, up until yesterday. I was stuck in my sin, and being selfish. I was dying on the inside because everything that I am was crying out to God, to worship Him and get that terrible blackness out of my heart. It took a few days to let it go; I thought it was fun. Believe me, it is not! A righteous man is holy one day, tempted the next, and the very next day, after the temptation conceives sin, is dead! What good was that for the Kingdom of Heaven??? None! What a waste! That was me this last couple of weeks!! Wow how I love this beauty.

Ok.. ok.. I know the whole.. God taking you around the world probably was a little strange, but I can imagine that, and it's hard for me to describe what I imagine. What I see in my head is so much more amazing and passionate than what I described earlier. It's overwhelming! So overwhelming that there is no way I can describe it in one lifetime! I think if that's how I describe it, me, a flaw-ful man, then imagine how it must really be with our Creator! How amazing!!

I know that I'll come back to that place where I see myself over and over.. but why can't there not be that place? Why does the journey stop and He say, "Well.. you did it again. You know what though? You're still beautiful to me. I love you so much, that no amount of sin can take away your beauty that I have given you." Those words bring tears my eyes.. and I love that it's true, but I want there to be a continuous journey, one on which there are no stops where I have to be set free of sins again. But I know that while I'm human it will always be this way. I long for the time there are no more stops! How awesome will that eternity be?

I will not keep such beauty for myself, though. I have to share it somehow. That's why I'm writing this, I believe. For those of you still reading by now, I commend you.. I would have looked at this post on one of my friend's entries and just skipped it.. too long. I'll try not to do that from now on, hehe..

To me, God is everything that beauty should be. Our beauty is a reflection of our inside personality, thought process, human activity, and how we handle controversial situations. I don't know.. Shouldn't "Our Beauty" be God? In other words, the only thing beautiful about humans is.. God? I think so. Maybe Kristi's last post was right, hehe.. "don't think so much." I don't think about this.. I know. I know that God should be the only beauty we boast in.

What is beauty to you?