Unleashing the Beauty of a Woman's Soul

Beauty is something that I'm finally getting a grasp on. As an artist (that alone is hard to say, but yes, I am one), I see beauty all around me. I understand it. I'm immersed in it. What I never could understand was that I was beautiful (that was hard just to even write that!).

I was that girl in high school that was invisible or tried to be. I never really could, well let's face it, no 250 lb person can. If someone were to look up "tomboy" in the dictionary, they would find a picture of me. Beauty (the essence of a woman) was foreign to me. Strength (the essence of a man) on the other hand was not. I saw beauty as a weakness. If you were beautiful, you were shallow. It was never good and evil.

I've finally discovered, after much convincing and late night chats with friends, that I am beautiful. My soul longs for it. I have something to offer.

In the book Captivating, Stasi Elderedge explains that woman's beauty is a gift and we (women, of course) need to offer our hearts. We have a gift. It's called presence. It is rare and beautiful (and sometimes intoxicating).

We have to unleash it. To be vulnerable. It's not easy, but it is divine! When a woman lets her guard down and her heart is revealed, men will be floored. Now, I'm not saying this to get for the purposes of attracting men (we already do that because, well, we are women and have boobs), but to reveal who you are. Stasi later states that, "the scariest thing for women is to offer our beauty in situations where we don't know if it will make a difference. Or worse, that we will be rejected. For our Question is, Am I lovely? And to be rejected is to hear a resounding, No. A woman does not want to offer her beauty unless she is guarenteed that it will be well recieved. But life offers no such guarentees. We, too, must take risks."

Beauty is not what is on the outside, contrary to popular belief; it is on the inside. When it is ignited, watch out! It is incredible! My grandma Lucy one of of the most beautiful people in the world. She had the best role model, my great-grandma Glenice. She was incredible! She loved God and loved others. She raised four wonderful children and was able to see fifteen out of seventeen of her grandchildren grow up. She was an amazing painist. Even though I was only able to see her for a few years, I was lucky enough to see her soul. The beauty that was displayed in this woman was passed down to her children, then grandchildren and now to her great-grandchildren. My grandma Lucy is an exact replica of Glenice. She has the sweetest deminer even when life is crashing down around her.

What I have seen with true beauty is that we (the women) cannot be validated by a man. We will never be satified and will most likely push them away. We will enter into the long spiral downwards that has us doubt and maybe not want to exist. We have to be validated by the God who gave us life. He created us. He knows us and wants to be invited into our hearts to hear the sorrows, the joy, the tears and our worries.

"Every woman posseses a captivating beauty. Every woman. But for most of us, it has been long buried, wounded, and captive. It takes time for it to emerge into wholeness. It needs to be culivated, restored, and set free" - Captivating