what makes a person beautiful?

I’m thinking a lot about body image today.   

It could be due to the hour spent at the mall yesterday.  Or maybe because of eating fries, a lot of fries (DQ fry sauce is the bomb!) and then going to try on clothes in front of a full length mirror.  A bad plan.  To say nothing of the fact that I skipped my workout routine again yesterday morning.   

Walking though the “mom” section looking for shirts for camouflage (to cover the stomach that stretched twice to bring two kids into the world) –that’s a little depressing at times. 

Then I talked to the guy who thinks he’s too skinny and in the same afternoon talked to the girl who thinks she’s too fat. 

I know what beautiful is, though.  I saw it last week at a party.  Two of my girlfriends sat close on a couch, one leaned in with her whole body, eyes focused, listening to the deep stuff.  That was beautiful.  An hour later I looked over and saw that same friend still leaned in listening, this time with someone new.  Giving every ounce of her soul, in the middle of a party, to care about people.   

She doesn’t know it, but I sat and watched her for quite a while.  That’s what loveliness does –makes you stop and take a second look.  Makes you want to soak in the view to feed your soul. 

That’s the kind of beautiful I want to be.  I wouldn’t mind so much passing up the young, still-have-a-flat-waist clothes, if I could just be the kind of gorgeous that loves people like I saw my friend loving. 

A woman poured expensive perfume over Jesus' head, and everyone gave her a hard time about it.  He said, “Leave her alone…She has done a beautiful thing to me.”  (Mark 14:6  NIV) 

Beautiful is how you look when you're pouring out love.