simplicity, fig leaves, and beauty

“I have learned to be content with whatever I have. I know what it is to have little, and I know what it is to have plenty. In any and all circumstances  I have learned the secrets of being well-fed and of going hungry, of having plenty and of being in need.”  -Phillipians 4:11-12

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This summer, I have been learning a lot. Simplicity is one of those aspects. Life can be packed with too much. I believe that we are called to literally shed the skin of our own habits in order to reveal the beauty that lies beneath. It is this beauty that God sees in us; not the false makeup that we plaster on ourselves. Author David Benner reminds me that “I am not my accomplishments. . . My worth lies in who I am, not what I can do or how I am seen by others.” Sometimes, I think that we want to be “perceived” by people as being “this” or “that” when we are really placing masks on overselves in order to cover up what God created us to be. Benner refers back to Genesis:

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“Ultimately, attachments are ways of coping with the feelings of vulnerability, shame and inadequacy that lie at the core of our false ways of being. Like Adam and Eve, our first response to our awareness of nakedness is to grab whatever is closest and quickly cover our nakedness. We hide behind the fig leaves of our false self. This is the way we package ourself to escape the painful awareness of our nakedness.

The problem with the false self is that it works. It helps us forget that we are naked. Before long, we are no longer aware of the underlying vulnerability and become comfortable once again. But God wants something better than fig leaves for us. God wants us to be aware of our helplessness so we can know that we need Divine help. God’s deepest desire for us is to replace our fig leaves with garments ofdurability and beauty. Yet, we cling to our fig leaf false self. We believe that we know how to take care of our needs better than God.”

God loves us for who we are. He sees beauty in us, the kind that is not enhanced by human hands but created by the inspiration of God. He sees beauty in you. He loves you.

Written by Alex Puleo at her blog – Just See Love