Dear readers,
I apologize in advance for the length of this particular devotional but pray that it will be a small blessing to your day. It is also a devotional that is geared toward women...but for my guy readers I hope that you will find some encouragement as well even though "beauty" isn't a goal that many men strive for. 
I also pray that the sweet presence of Christ will saturate every circumstance of your precious lives and that in every situation you will find both opportunity and the needed boldness to share the hope of Jesus Christ with those that Papa God lovingly sets in your paths today!
Sweetest Blessings,
Sandy

“BEAUTIFUL”

In times past, there was a little girl that lived on the “wrong” side of town, they were a good and loving family but had little of what this world would consider wealth or status. When the little girl was growing up, her parents could not afford expensive gifts; her grandparents however, spoiled her! Something special happened one Christmas Eve at her grandparent’s home, when the little girl was about 5 years old. All the presents had been opened, but everyone seemed to be waiting on something, even as a small child she could sense it. Her Grandpa winked at her and held out his large hand, so she took it. He led her upstairs to the spare room and there just inside the door was an off-white provincial vanity.  When she lifted the lid on it, it was filled with pretend make-up and jewelry! She was AMAZED! She had never seen anything so lovely in her entire life and the little girl was so happy!

She could see the excitement in her Grandpa’s eyes and she knew she was loved…not because of the gift, but because of the look of love in his eyes. She was just a plain little girl, who was never really noticed in a crowd, but this gift of love made her special, not because of the gift, but because of the love that was behind the gift. I guess all good Grandpas (and Grandmas) know that every little girl wants to feel beautiful!

As the little girl grew up into a young woman, she was entrusted with two little girls of her own. They were the woman’s treasure and delight! Although finances were tight, she bought the little girls pretty clothes and pretend make-up. And then as the girls grew into young women, she bought more pretty clothes and real make-up. I guess all good Moms (and Dads) know that every young woman wants to be beautiful!

Of course every little girl like the one in the story and every grown-up girl wants to be pretty, to be beautiful and I am no different. It seems we as women spend our lives trying to be beautiful, we are ever struggling to live up to society’s standards, no matter how unrealistic they may be! I would love to be taller, a few pounds thinner and prettier, but my heavenly Papa whispers to my heart that to Him I am already beautiful and so are you! He chose everything about you…the color of your eyes, the shape of your nose, the way that you laugh. His loving fingerprints are all over you! And because of His great and unconditional love, He, like the grandpa in the story also gave a beautifying gift; He generously gave the gift of His only Son.  And His gift gives us each the opportunity to be beautiful from the inside out! Oh that your heart would hear Him whisper that today, right now, you are beautiful, valued and so very deeply loved!

And as those profoundly loved of God, I invite you to at least momentarily set aside the cares of this week and enfold yourself into this future scenario.

It was a cold and blustery day and the mail truck has come and gone, so you put on your long scratchy winter coat and your winter boots. Gloves and scarf are next, “Hmm, is it really worth the effort?”, you ask yourself since it’s probably filled with bills and junk mail, but still, hope springs eternal, so onward you trudge. As the mailbox  s-q-u-e-a-k-s open, you glumly decide that you were right; it’s just bills and junk mail. For a moment you are tempted to shove it all back in the box for someone else to drag in, but you know it’s coming in sometime, so you gather it all up. Just when you think that you’ve got it all, a very thick, shiny gold envelope slips out from the pile of junk mail and lands unceremoniously in the snow. You pick it up, brush off the snow and see that it has your name handwritten on the front.

Hmmm, that’s interesting, so you check the top left corner, but there is no return address and the mail stamp is blurred. What could it be?  Is it a mistake? But no, that IS your name clearly written on the front and it has the correct home address too. The phone rings as you are coming in the door, so you drop the rest of the mail on the counter. You answer the phone, while still grasping the opulent gold envelope. It is the school calling, your child has come down with the stomach flu that is going around and must be picked up immediately. So you grab your keys and purse and run out the door, leaving the gold parchment envelope lying on the counter beside the phone.

You get your daughter home and help her peel out of her soiled clothes, easing her into soft clean jammies. She crawls into bed and you fluff her pillow and bring her some juice and crackers. The rest of the kids come piling in the door with whoops and shouts about their day. Dinner is next and clean up after that. Finally the kids are in bed and you remember the gold envelope that is still lying on the counter beside the phone. You pick it up and wonder what it could be! Your curiosity gets the better of you and you start to rip it open.

The crackle of the envelope, gives way to a gold embossed card that simply reads on the front; “You Are Invited…” As you open the card you see that amazingly you have received an invitation to the throne of God! You shall have an audience with the King of all Kings! The invitation also explains that everything you need to prepare for this special meeting is found in the manual that was included with the invitation.

What will you wear? How will you fix your hair? What will you say??? You begin to go through your closet, searching for just the right clothes to wear. Of course NOTHING in your closet even begins to be appropriate attire for this Royal meeting, but you do your best and then you move onto what in the world you will say!

You read the included manual every day trying to prepare for your meeting with the King. You test many beauty treatments, attempting to look as lovely as possible for your date with royalty. However, you eventually notice that the date of this special meeting is not given anywhere on the invitation, so as life gets busy, it is easy to lose sight of your upcoming audience with the King.

As time passes, the young woman watches her children grow up and move away. Through the years she says a tearful goodbye to many that she loves dearly. Finally the woman herself grows old and fragile having never had her audience with the King. But on a God ordained day, the woman’s earthly journey ends and she finds herself standing outside of the Throne room in Heaven.

You look down and see that you are arrayed in lovely clothing that is so white and clean that it glistens! There are mighty angels that stand guard at the massive gold doors. Everyone there is smiling and you have the feeling that something amazing is about to transpire. Another angel approaches you and tells you that your audience with the King has come at last! As the door opens noiselessly, you step in and your eyes are nearly blinded by the glory that fills the room. The size of the room is not ascertainable because the glory of God is so bright that it is the only thing you can see. A voice that sounds like many waters calls you by name. He says another name that is new to you and yet at the same time you somehow know that it is yours. You hesitantly step forward, shaking and not knowing what to say or do. Partly due to fear and partly due to reverence, you fall down on your knees, weeping. Through your tears you see someone walking toward you and they are covered in the same amazing light too. You notice that on His feet are wounds and you realize that it is Jesus! He reaches down and gently pulls you to an upright position and together you walk hand-in-hand toward the other source of that glorious light.

You stand before the King and everything you had thought to say escapes you and you are speechless. Standing there in silence, you begin to think about your many failures and mistakes and how you could never belong in such a holy place, but just as you are turning to go, the King begins to rise and you know that you cannot leave, for there is nowhere that you can escape His all-seeing eyes. He steps down from His throne, His magnificent robe rustling against the golden floor and He reaches out and cups your face with His massive hands. You continue to weep and your tears run down over His hands. He lifts up your face until you are looking directly into His eyes and the depth of love you see there is comforting and exhilarating at the same time. He tells you that He has loved you with an everlasting love and that because He created you; you have been and will always be beautiful! Perhaps for the very first time, you see the unique and precious loveliness that He has planted deep within your life and how it is somehow an adornment to these opulent surroundings. In the warmth of His touch and the look in His eyes, every doubt, every question of your life is answered and you realize that at long last you are home.

Dear friend, your invitation lies ready and on a God appointed day we shall each stand before our King! So may we spend our lives preparing for that meeting and may we with the help of our good and loving Father recognize that there is a gentle but opulent beauty that resides with in us TODAY as daughters of the King, for in His eyes we are indeed BEAUTIFUL!