You're beautiful, but not beneath your skin...

Why is being beautiful so important to an ugly world? Is it because we can't dare to look at ourselves? Our whole understanding of the word has become demented and disillusioned by lust, pride, and selfishness. We sum people up by our own personal measure of beauty. We judge them; beautiful, ugly, hot, fat, cute, etc. We perceive them based on the label we give them. But is being beautiful and being ugly based solely on looks alone? I'm not so naive as to believe that isn't the general view, but what about the truly beautiful people. The people who are aesthetically beautiful. The people who please our senses. People who we gravitate to, not because they are just beautiful on the outside, but because their soul is beautiful to us. I know girls who are very attractive, "hot" even, but they aren't beautiful because they have an ugly soul, that is, they are lacking in integrity, character, and compassion. I also know girls who may not be as attractive as the "hot" girl, but have a beauty that goes beyond any visible virtue, something intangible that takes hold of a person in their company. These are the beautiful people of the world, however, television, magazines, and the media in general will tell you differently, glorifying the emptiness that is superficial beauty, which we emphatically embrace because we have forgotten in whose image we have been created.

We are an ugly bunch. Covered in sin and relishing in it. I am ugly, you are ugly, we are ugly. Luckily, a beautiful person died for this ugly world. Extending a hand of grace to dying souls so that one day we can transcend all this nonsense, and reach a place of aesthetic beauty far beyond our dreams. So beautiful...

If love is the labor I'll slave till the end...

The Beloved desires to be pursued; wanted above all other things. To be held, to be carried, to be swept off it's feet. The Beloved wants to be fought for, to be the prized possession; worth dying for. To be beautiful, to be cherished, to be touched.

The Lover desires to pursue; to find a love above all other things. To hold it, to carry it, to sweep off it's feet. The Lover wants someone to fight for, to rescue, to die for. To tell its love it's beautiful, to cherish it, to touch it.

The Christ pursues His love, wants it above all other things. Holds it, carries it, and sweeps it off it's feet. The Christ fights for it, rescues it for it is HIS prized possession, and has died for it. His love is beautiful to Him, He cherishes it, and He touches it...