Beauty Isn't Just Skin Deep

http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1398481

Can I just say . . . I hate getting my picture taken.  I’m NEVER photogenic! 


My sister on the other hand is ALWAYS photogenic!  It doesn’t matter if she’s just gotten out of bed or been in a rainstorm, she still looks gorgeous.  I, on the other hand, can fix my hair, put on makeup and still look frumpy. 

 

For that reason, I’m reluctant to get my picture taken and even more so when I have to dish out good money for one.  I reason that I can take just as good a picture on my phone as a professional can take – well maybe, not just as good but it’ll do.  So I choose to stick with my snapshots which are easy, convenient and “good enough”.

 

http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1195982

When I found out recently that  I needed to get some professional photos, I cringed.  Could I lose forty pounds in two days and get a face lift?  Hmmm, probably NOT!  Then I remembered . . . there is Photoshop!

 

Even knowing that, I still showed up at the studio with knots in my stomach.  But before my time was up I was astounded at the giftedness of my photographer. She made me look beautiful! She had the right equipment, the expertise and the “eye” for the perfect shot.

 

Just like my photographer used her skill and expertise to make me beautiful on the outside, God is at work making me beautiful on the inside.  He is using His skill and expertise to shape and form me to look like Him. 

 

To be honest, rarely do I jump up and down with excitement over what He is doing.  It’s often hard and painful.  I find myself frequently asking, “Did you really need to do that?  Couldn’t you find an easier way to change me?” 


What God is doing in me isn't as easy a fix as it is on Photoshop.  It doesn't happen with the click of a button or with one decision.  It's a process - it takes time, energy and perseverence.

 

Just like I avoid getting my picture taken, I duck and hide to evade God’s work in my life.  I opt for the easy, the convenient and the “good enough” philosophy instead. 

 

But Hebrews 12.5-7 says, “And have you forgotten the encouraging words God spoke to you as his children?  He said,  ‘My child, don’t make light of the LORD’s discipline, and don’t give up when he corrects you.  For the LORD disciplines those he loves, and he punishes each one he accepts as His child.’  As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as his own children.  Whoever heard of a child who is never disciplined by its father?”

 

Taking pictures my way is easy and cheap but they’re never stellar.   Trying to fix myself never works either.  I need to stop ducking and hiding and embrace the work God is doing in my life.