BEAUTY. A word used in every culture and yet can hold different meanings based on the cultures you are in. Take a second and think. What does beauty look like to you? What about in your own current culture?

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In America, beauty can mean vastly different things to the beholder. In general, beauty is often assessed by the outward expression of a person’s personality, in the fashion trends one displays, in the possessions owned, the confidence exuded by a person, or by the way one is accepted by others in their spheres of influence.

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Coming into Guatemalan culture, I knew it would be different. And at the same time, I didn’t know what it would look like. With the hardships and difficult life circumstances experienced by many here, to an American (or insert your idyllic nationality here) it’s easy to think that in some way beauty in other countries is measured on a lesser scale, or it’s even tempting to pity other cultures signifying in some way American culture is “true beauty” and other countries have missed the mark. I will admit that I didn’t quite know how to process the culture shock when I came to Guatemala. So many of my preconceived notions of beauty, “good” living conditions, strong faith, and hospitality (just to name a few) have been blown out of the water and I’m beginning to see a glimpse into God’s heart for HIS definitions of these things. The Word of God is clear on this topic:

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“But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.’”

(1 Samuel 16:7)

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On Monday, my team and one of our ministry hosts, Jota, were tasked to ask the Lord about where He wanted us to go that morning for ministry. The vision for that morning was to visit homes and go to the people God wanted us to encounter. Each of us received different things from God once we prayed. There was one picture that came to Jota’s mind: it was this picture of a distorted piece of laminate material. Random, you may think…

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Until we passed by a man working in this small field adjacent to his home. Jota recognized the distorted piece of laminate material that was positioned above the entrance to his humble home… this was exactly what Jota saw in his mind’s eye when he asked the Lord about where we should go that morning. This led us to strike up a conversation with *P* about his life (*P* inserted for the sweet man’s name, hidden for privacy). He is a man in his 70’s. When we stopped to talk, he was cutting down food in this overgrown grassy patch with his machete. He had a shriveled hand and other physical ailments that prevented him from sustaining work, causing him to depend on his father for his necessities and source of provision. Eventually, he explained that these physical struggles were imputed to him by robbers and other thieves who had beaten him when they stole many of his possessions. He so graciously invited us into his home after we talked for a while out in his garden.

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Approaching the entrance to his home and walking through the narrow dirt lined path, he reminded us of how badly he wished he could give us something to welcome us, but he said he had nothing to offer. For someone on the outside looking in, his home would not have met the standard of beauty that culture often defines as such. My heart broke as we stood in his kitchen, with sticks for a stove and make-shift walls built from various materials. I truly felt that all I had to offer was my prayer for him, as I’m sure many of my team felt as well. We surrounded him in prayer; asking for God’s healing, provision, and protection, as well as God’s presence to invade His place. He has a heart for the Lord and with open hands, he prayed his own prayer to the Lord.

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There’s so much of what we experienced with *P* that broke our hearts and yet this moment will forever be a time where my comfortable definition of beauty was uprooted, and the expression of God’s heart for this fearfully and wonderfully created man struck me as a deeper beauty than anything he could have on this Earth. He was beautiful!

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I write this blog to challenge you to think about what you have accepted as truth the entirety of your life, that maybe God wants to redefine. What is God’s version of beauty?

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We find those answers in the Bible! God reminds us, time and time again that our identity is never rooted in our appearance, our material possessions, stature, approval from family or friends, our own striving to be “the best person,” cultural standards, our amazing experiences, or even in the abundance of what we can give back to others, or even to God. Remember the widow in the bible who only had two small copper coins to give back to the Lord? And yet God valued her offering over the abundance of others because she gave out of her destitution.

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God looks at the heart. In your lack, are you giving him your whole heart? What about in your abundance?

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We all have different life stories, and not everyone’s story may look “beautiful” on the outside. But, let me introduce you to someone who is the mender of brokenness and restorer of beauty in ALL things!

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If you want to know about Jesus more, PLEASE reach out to me! Or, continue to follow along my blogs- and even other World Racer blogs! I would LOVE to call you, text you, pray with you, cry with you, laugh with you, and listen with you. He is my everything! But I want you to be able to taste and see for YOURSELF that He is more than a historic God or one you just talk about on Easter and Christmas. He is real AND alive, and He wants to speak to you and walk with you through life’s ups and downs.

Will you let Him redefine your definitions today?

PRAYER REQUESTS:

-       Continued protection and guidance over my team (Chameleons): Samantha (Squad Leader), Abigail, Carol, Ruthie, Victoria, and myself as we share the Gospel and love on people in Guatemala! Also, prayer for the other teams as well: Lawn Chair Crisis, Gloria A Dios, 2.4.7, Whale Team 6- that God would guide them, protect them, and give them fresh hunger for Him daily!

-       For *P* that God would restore his heart to the fullness of joy and that we would be able to love him well in the coming days!

-       Prayer for Glad Tidings Church, Savannah Community Church, and First United Methodist Church- all churches that have supported me prayerfully and financially! That they would have fruitful ministries and hear the voice of God for direction in their own communities!

-       That God would soften hearts here in Guate to receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior!

THANK YOU for following along! Please give me feedback about maybe what you would like to hear about in my posts! You are in my prayers!