Skin Deep
My Mom used to remind me when I was growing up that “beauty is only skin deep; but ugly goes clear to the bone”. (I googled who it was that said that, and it’s unclear. Redd Foxx or Dorothy Parker are the top two sources given.) I believe that this quote is aimed at being beautiful on the inside as well as the outside. My Mom used it with me to remind years ago that some of the pretty girls I might be interested in were only beautiful “skin deep”. There is good wisdom to ponder on that. I know that as I get older, it seems I have less and less to “work with” to make myself presentable. Mom used to also remind me that: “Beauty is as beauty does”. My behavior reflects the deepest part of me – my soul.
The people of Israel are still at Mt. Sinai as I have been reading the story of their journey from Egypt to the land promised them by God. One of the rules or laws had to do with ceremonial cleanliness. There are lots of ways to become ceremonially unclean by touching a dead animal or other unclean things. There are some ways of becoming unclean that happy to you for example a skin disease. Check this out….
45 “Those who suffer from a serious skin disease must tear their clothing and leave their hair uncombed. They must cover their mouth and call out, ‘Unclean! Unclean!’ 46 As long as the serious disease lasts, they will be ceremonially unclean. They must live in isolation in their place outside the camp. (Leviticus 13:45-46 NLT)
I can tell you all of my physical flaws according to me. I’m thankful that my wife and others have overlooked them to see the me that dwells inside this 58-year-old body. I know that we will all die, if we live long enough. I know that with the Lord dwelling inside of me, I am transformed into His Image. Hopefully, when people see me, they will know that I walk with the Lord. Hopefully, when people see me, they can look past my physical flaws and see my soul, where the beauty of the Lord’s Presence lives. This is the part where my inner beauty as a person, can come out of me and love liked Jesus loves. I can serve and give because The Lord dwells deep in my soul and can shine through my success and my struggles. I want Jesus, the Light of the World to shine clearly through every part of me, from the top of my head to the bottom of my feet. I want my inner beauty to trump my outer appearance every time.
Pressing On!
Dwayne