Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Birthdays & Beauty!



"I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made"
~Psalm 139:14

I'm taking a quick break from chronicling my adventures through the "Live Deliciously" series to share some introspective thoughts with you this morning....but not just any ol' thoughts....
BIRTHDAY THOUGHTS!

Always a favorite time of reflection for me as I take a gaze back and a gander forward to ponder what it is I'd like to purpose in my heart for the coming year. It may surprise some that I truly enjoy growing older....I like to look back and consider the pearls of wisdom I have managed to glean year after year...a perpetual rite of passage...and the older I get, the more at rest my soul becomes.

Spent some time in Psalm 139 this morning...sigh....what a smile it brought to my face as I contemplated the richness of it. "How precious also are Your thought to me, O God! How great is the sum of them!" (Psalm 139:17)

I'm reminded of conversations with older women who confess that if they only knew in their youth what they know now, how differently they would have lived. They express regrets of obsessing over their weight and living with such insecurities that prevented them from embracing the best years of their life.

In a post he titles
Leo Babauta says, "I’m not cool, and I’m cool with that. I wasted a lot of energy when I was younger worrying about being cool. It’s way more fun to forget about that, and just be yourself."

Smile. Wise words indeed.

We live in a society that has a very convoluted perception of BEAUTY, would you agree?

I wanted to share a delightful passage from one of my favorite books "Captivating" by Stasi Eldredge...such a courageous reminder that we do not have to "try" to BE, we already ARE!
Live from that place sweet bellas, live like it's real.....much love to you this beautiful fall morning....
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 
"All around us God's creation shouts of his beauty and his goodness. The way snow creates a silhouette of lace on a barren tree, the rays of sun streaming forth from a billowing cloud, the sound of a brook trickling over smooth stones, the form of a woman's body and the face of a child anticipating the arrival of the ice cream truck all speak of God's good heart if we will have but the eyes to see. The coming of spring after a hard winter is almost too glorious for a soul to bear. God's beauty is lavished on the world.

Beauty may be the most powerful thing on earth. Beauty speaks. Beauty invites. Beauty nourishes. Beauty comforts. Beauty inspires. Beauty is transcendent. Beauty draws us to God.

A woman in her glory, a woman of beauty, is a woman who is not striving to become beautiful or worthy or enough.
She knows in her quiet center where God dwells that He finds her beautiful, has deemed her worthy, and in Him she is enough.
In fact, the only thing getting in the way of our being
fully captivating and enjoyed,
is our hiding and striving.

So Jesus says, "I will quiet you with My love" (Zephaniah 3:17). A woman of true beauty is a woman who in the depths of her soul is at rest; trusting God because she has come to know Him to be worthy of her trust. She exudes a sense of calm; a sense of rest; and invites those around her to rest as well. She speaks comfort; that all is well; that all will be well. A woman of true beauty offers others the grace to be and the room to become. In her presence, one can release the tight sigh that so often grips our hearts, and breathe in the truth that
God loves us and He is good."

17 comments:

  1. Happy Birthday to a beautiful friend! :)

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  2. Ahhh, captivating is the perfect title, isn't it?

    All of this is a true description of a woman of God...who knows that her security comes from Him, allowing her to walk in confidence, embracing life and "living like it's real".
    This describes you, Bella - a woman of true beauty!

    Happy Birthday and may each year be more abundantly blessed than the last!

    He does quiet us with His love and He gives us the freedom to exhale! All will be well! xo

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  3. beautifully written my friend, you have been a true blessing in my life!

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  4. Such words of wisdom...beauty, and love, flowing through the lines of your precious quotations, and thoughts!
    Bella Jaime you are a true inspiration of a beautiful woman, clearly gleaming with joy, love, and confidence about yourself...and yet, you have so far to reach in life, you have it "all together!
    I am quoting a favorite proverb of mine from the Hebrew text from the bible!

    You, Bella are that WOMAN OF VALOR!

    Blessed is the man who finds Wisdom,
    the man who gains understanding,
    for she is more profitable than silver
    and yields better returns than gold.
    She is more precious than rubies;
    nothing you desire can compare with her.
    Long life is in her right hand;
    in her left hand are riches and honor.
    Her ways are pleasant ways, and all her paths are Peace.
    She is a Tree of Life to those who embrace her,
    those who lay hold of her will be blessed.

    Proverbs 3:13-18

    HAPPY BIRTHDAY...BUON COMPLEANNO A TÉ!
    Much love, hugs, and kisses to you, Bella Donna=Beautiful Woman:DDD

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  5. I LOVE that book! God used Captivating to bring so much healing and clarity to my life. I recommend it to everyone I know. Absolutely love it.

    Happy birthday, bella!

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  6. Jaime, this is so beautiful and I too enjoy gaining wisdom each year. I do sometimes think, if I knew then what I know now. But then I look back and say, I wouldn't change a thing. Wishing you a beautiful birthday!
    Happy Birthday to you!
    -Gina-

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  7. It is great reading your blogs.You are such inspiration.All the best wishes;))

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  8. Happy Birthday! Now I have to tell you I have this recurring craving for a creamy choc cake that I can not quite identify. But I think I just found it on your header! Strange I know but it looks delicious.

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  9. Nice to read a great blog, belated happy birthday wishes to you.sure I will come back.

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  10. Happy birthday, my sweet friend! It's the perfect time to look back at the lessons life has taught and to look ahead to all that life can offer! Wonderful thoughts to digest with my morning tea. xoxo

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  11. Happy Birthday - that was beautifully written and it's a perfect time to reflect!

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  12. Happy Birthday! It is so true that you want to have as few regrets as possible. I hope you had a wonderful day!

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  13. Happy birthday! Very beautiful post!

    Thank you so much for stopping by on my SITS Day and leaving me a sweet comment. I appreciate it very much.

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  14. I'm so sorry that I missed this post. Happy Belated Birthday to you, sweet friend! You always bless me when I visit and tonight is no exception. ♥

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  15. Happy Belated Birthday! Such a lovely post...you should enjoy every age beauty and wishing you many more beautiful years :)

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  16. What a wonderful post about how to find our own beauty. Plus, anyone who references Leo is going to get my attention. Love him!

    Thanks again for visiting on my SITS day.

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