Project 31: Day 1: Beauty

So I just started following the blog She Breathes Deeply like yesterday, but I have read several of her posts and I just really like them. She's starting this new project called Project 31. I'm not going to go into detail describing it because, well, she does a great job of it herself! I decided to join and try to write one every day or as many days as I can. I've never done a blog challenge before, so we'll see how it goes!

Day 1: What does beauty mean to you?

To define beauty in my own words would be nearly impossible to do with any amount of originality, but I'll try. Beauty, as applied to people, is an outward expression of an inward condition. I also love how Peter described it (1 Peter 3:3-4): "Your beauty should not be an external one, consisting of braided hair or the wearing of gold ornaments and dresses. Instead, it should be the inner disposition of the heart, consisting in the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which God values greatly."

As an artist, I have a trained eye for external beauty. I know about the elements of design like line, color, shape, texture, etc. I also know about the principles of design including balance, unity, repetition, and the like. The elements and principles are the tools I use to define what is beautiful in nature and in art. When applied to people, especially women, it's easy to see beauty in all different shapes, colors, and textures. Think about it. Some women are curvy, and some are tall and thin. Some are dark skinned and some are pale. Some women have beautiful wrinkles, a canvas of texture, while some have beautiful soft skin. They may not embody beauty by the definition popular culture uses, but artistically, they are beautiful.

As a Christian, I have a God-given blueprint for inner beauty as well. I know about the fruits of the spirit such as love, joy, peace, patience, self-control, to name a few. The fruits are how others should see Christ in us. Obviously, it's not always the case. But it should be. It absolutely should be. A person who is beautiful on the inside is patient with her family, loves friend and foe, and is at peace mentally and physically. It's nearly impossible for everyone to display these traits all at once and all of the time.

I feel like the elements/fruits are really the defining characteristics of beauty both physically and spiritually. Isn't it true, that as cliche as it sounds, when someone is inwardly full of joy, externally they look as though they could burst with their excitement and happiness?!? And when someone is at peace, you can tell by their whole aura.

These are a few shots of me on my wedding day, two and a half years ago. Unstaged, unprompted, natural shots.

People tell me they love these two photos. I was full of joy that day. It was unmistakeable. You can't hide the fruits of the spirit. They're evident, or should be, in your daily life. A person who "speaks" them through the way she lives her life radiates beauty. It permeates her entire being. I certainly don't exhibit all of the fruits every day. There are some I'm definitely better at than others, and there are some that I have to work very hard at. Namely patience. That one's hard for me. Not every piece of I create has all or even more than one of the elements and principles in it. Similarly, some come very naturally to me while others I have to consciously work to achieve.

Every woman wants to be told she's beautiful. I'll be the first to admit I love that. I've been told it all my life by my parents and now my husband. It never gets old. Ever. But at the end of the day, I want the reason to be more than skin deep. I want to be so full of the fruits of the spirit that I radiate inner beauty. That will enhance my outer beauty more than makeup or cute outfits ever could. I want my inner beauty to be so evident that when others see my art or read my blog, they just know without being told what kind of person I am. If I could chose a legacy to leave to my future children and grandchildren, I would want it to be that I was a beautiful person, inside and out, just like the Proverbs 31 woman.