Surface Beauty is just Skin Deep
It have come to the conclusion that life isn't to be figured out, it is too be lived. You may wonder exactly how I came to such a definitive answer to life's most elusive question. Take a walk on the wild side with me and I'll reveal the results of my quest.
She was a striking woman with gorgeous features and even more noticeable was her warm welcoming smile. At first glance you notice a lovely silhouette that has the confidence and looks to be and do anything. After seeing her for several weeks I decided to engage in friendly conversation. Even though it was shallow, the revelation was deep.
It was obvious that her surface beauty was fighting to shine through to her heart. Beneath the crystal blue water lies an ocean floor laced with seaweed instead of soft smooth sand. She battled to keep the talk light so as to keep her smile and demeanor bright and hopeful. With a little prodding I broke through and the walls that contained the waves of emotions fought not to break.
Her self esteem was low, relationships came and went like the wind. Each one held promise and hope, yet every time she would find a reason not to continue on. Excuse after excuse would shatter another promise for a better tomorrow. Rather confused at where this was all going, I decided to ride the gentle waters on top for a while to see if the issue was floating on the surface rather than buried at the bottom.
Many times in life we over complicate an otherwise simple situation. We allow our sphere of influence to shape our lives in such a way that we totally lose sight of who we are and who we could be. Each introduction is fraught with fear of acceptance or rejection. The hope is elevated or dashed. Either way we place ourselves in the bubble of life that is guided by the actions of those around us. No longer do we believe and accept that we are GOOD ENOUGH, that our life matters, that it has purpose, and that we do not need conformity to complete us. We have become exactly what others have decided we should be. We laugh, we drink, we party, we fit in, yet our heart and soul aches with the desire to stand out. Every step, every encounter, every social engagement, pushes us away, not pulls us in to that which compliments, grows, and frees who we are.
The conversation was short yet as it concluded I gleamed a nugget of wisdom that I had to share. As I stood to walk away I said, "your external beauty is a true gift from God, it is a gift that is always on public display, however it is so insignificant what others see if you see something different when you look in the mirror. What matters most though isn't your external beauty it is what lies beneath that drives who you are". The ugly reminds you that you are a bad person and as human with your life guided by others, that is the narrative your mind tells you to believe. With that I walked away.
I would like to conclude that observation in the remaining lines of this blog. God created in us the ability to be so much more than we are. We get so caught up in trying to be what we feel makes us fit in and be accepted that we never discover the treasure that lies within. We live among the walking dead and over a short period of time we too become one of them. We are recruited into the family of zombies that fill our streets, homes, and circles in which we place ourselves. No longer guided by the amazing potential God breathed into us from birth, oh no, now we simply fit in, without realizing the deadend street we are about to turn on. Yes we have left the body in which we inhabit and joined the ranks of the lifeless souls that drive our daily activities. All we have left to claim as our own, is the shattered hopes and emotions that further drag us down.
Life is meant to be lived actively not passively. We should never just go through life we should grow through it. Our life has meaning much deeper than the crystal blue waters we think we are in. If you find yourself sinking with the weight of the world, please know that you are not buried you are planted and all it takes to blossom is the desire to break free from that which holds you down. Trust me, I know it isn't easy because as humans we put the keys to our happiness in the pockets of others. If they would just do that my life would be better, if he or she would just come back my hope would be restored, and the list goes on and on. This is your world, shape it, or someone else will. When others shape your life, they do so in such a way that completes their mission not yours. Remember if you do not change the course you are on you just may end up where you are heading.
I know life has been hard, I know you are emotionally beat down, I know that you feel like everything is a lost cause, I know that you think you are getting what you deserve. We all have faced the giants that block us from the life we were created to live. The HOPE however is this, your life is filled with a strength you never knew. As of right this minute you have survived 100% of the walls, hurdles, and life complications you have faced. That tells me that your life is just getting started, it isn't ending. It is time to start living and stop dying. This is your life and yours alone. No one from this point forward will live it for you. God set your life in motion, not so it could be miserable, but so it could make a difference. A better life is truly waiting for you to show up.
peace and love
Dale
She was a striking woman with gorgeous features and even more noticeable was her warm welcoming smile. At first glance you notice a lovely silhouette that has the confidence and looks to be and do anything. After seeing her for several weeks I decided to engage in friendly conversation. Even though it was shallow, the revelation was deep.
It was obvious that her surface beauty was fighting to shine through to her heart. Beneath the crystal blue water lies an ocean floor laced with seaweed instead of soft smooth sand. She battled to keep the talk light so as to keep her smile and demeanor bright and hopeful. With a little prodding I broke through and the walls that contained the waves of emotions fought not to break.
Her self esteem was low, relationships came and went like the wind. Each one held promise and hope, yet every time she would find a reason not to continue on. Excuse after excuse would shatter another promise for a better tomorrow. Rather confused at where this was all going, I decided to ride the gentle waters on top for a while to see if the issue was floating on the surface rather than buried at the bottom.
Many times in life we over complicate an otherwise simple situation. We allow our sphere of influence to shape our lives in such a way that we totally lose sight of who we are and who we could be. Each introduction is fraught with fear of acceptance or rejection. The hope is elevated or dashed. Either way we place ourselves in the bubble of life that is guided by the actions of those around us. No longer do we believe and accept that we are GOOD ENOUGH, that our life matters, that it has purpose, and that we do not need conformity to complete us. We have become exactly what others have decided we should be. We laugh, we drink, we party, we fit in, yet our heart and soul aches with the desire to stand out. Every step, every encounter, every social engagement, pushes us away, not pulls us in to that which compliments, grows, and frees who we are.
The conversation was short yet as it concluded I gleamed a nugget of wisdom that I had to share. As I stood to walk away I said, "your external beauty is a true gift from God, it is a gift that is always on public display, however it is so insignificant what others see if you see something different when you look in the mirror. What matters most though isn't your external beauty it is what lies beneath that drives who you are". The ugly reminds you that you are a bad person and as human with your life guided by others, that is the narrative your mind tells you to believe. With that I walked away.
I would like to conclude that observation in the remaining lines of this blog. God created in us the ability to be so much more than we are. We get so caught up in trying to be what we feel makes us fit in and be accepted that we never discover the treasure that lies within. We live among the walking dead and over a short period of time we too become one of them. We are recruited into the family of zombies that fill our streets, homes, and circles in which we place ourselves. No longer guided by the amazing potential God breathed into us from birth, oh no, now we simply fit in, without realizing the deadend street we are about to turn on. Yes we have left the body in which we inhabit and joined the ranks of the lifeless souls that drive our daily activities. All we have left to claim as our own, is the shattered hopes and emotions that further drag us down.
Life is meant to be lived actively not passively. We should never just go through life we should grow through it. Our life has meaning much deeper than the crystal blue waters we think we are in. If you find yourself sinking with the weight of the world, please know that you are not buried you are planted and all it takes to blossom is the desire to break free from that which holds you down. Trust me, I know it isn't easy because as humans we put the keys to our happiness in the pockets of others. If they would just do that my life would be better, if he or she would just come back my hope would be restored, and the list goes on and on. This is your world, shape it, or someone else will. When others shape your life, they do so in such a way that completes their mission not yours. Remember if you do not change the course you are on you just may end up where you are heading.
I know life has been hard, I know you are emotionally beat down, I know that you feel like everything is a lost cause, I know that you think you are getting what you deserve. We all have faced the giants that block us from the life we were created to live. The HOPE however is this, your life is filled with a strength you never knew. As of right this minute you have survived 100% of the walls, hurdles, and life complications you have faced. That tells me that your life is just getting started, it isn't ending. It is time to start living and stop dying. This is your life and yours alone. No one from this point forward will live it for you. God set your life in motion, not so it could be miserable, but so it could make a difference. A better life is truly waiting for you to show up.
peace and love
Dale
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