Inner beauty

Imagine if we checked our heart as much as we checked our face in the mirror. We constantly strive to look good. But how often do we strive to be good?

Photo credit: Benjamin Manshi

What is the difference?

We are all beautiful and unique. However, there is a huge difference between looking beautiful and being beautiful. It takes physical energy to look beautiful, but it takes mental and emotional energy to be beautiful. “Why so?” you may be wondering . . . Let me break down for you: to be beautiful means to be loving, caring, forgiving, graceful, compassionate, considerate and etc.

It takes strength and grace to be and do all those things and more. Because if we are honest here, it is a lot easier to criticize people than to say something nice to them; it is easier to hate our neighbour, than to love them; it is easier to judge people than to have empathy on them; and it is easier to hold grudges than to forgive those who hurt us.

Imagine having the prettiest vase, holding the prettiest flowers in your home, but there is no water inside? Yeah it looks stunning, but what’s the point when it doesn’t contain the content it needs in order to grow and blossom.

Now the vase is going to make a great impact on people’s eyes, every person who walks in will probably have a positive impression on it – which is great! But imagine if they decide to take a look inside and find the vase is empty. From being amazed at the way it looks, they will be shocked and have questions raised in their head. And automatically, they will stop thinking about how it looks and focus on how can it be empty.

This goes back to us. Most of the time we make a great impact one people’s eyes, but how often do we make great impact on people’s hearts?

Impact hearts

Did you know people won’t remember the branded outfit you wore, but they most definitely remember how you made them feel.

People don’t seek to be amazed by your looks, they seek to be loved, accepted and get fuelled with hope. We live in a broken world, filled with broken people who are in search of some healing.

That healing comes when we let the hope that lives in us shine through us to brighten their lives. Even a small candle makes a huge difference in a dark room.

See here is the thing, when you’re in darkness, you don’t search where your prettiest candle is sitting – you just want any candle to light up the room. Because after all, it’s about what the candle does and not how it looks.

Gift

Since I was a little girl, my mom always taught me about self-confidence, worth and value. When I became a teenager, I was so focused on my outer look. I’d compare myself with celebrities and models and wished I looked as “perfect” as they did.

Moving on, this one time my mom used a simple concept to convey a powerful message.

She asked me, “when you receive a gift, what do you most care about?” I said “the gift, obviously.” She replied “See, you are more excited to see what is inside and not the wrapping paper itself. The wrapping paper may be pretty and excite you to open it, but once you open the gift, the wrapping paper doesn’t mean anything. Most of the time we tear it and throw it away. Because what is inside holds a greater value than what is covering it.

And it is the same with our bodies, it’s wonderful to look after ourselves, dress up, and look good. But if inside doesn’t hold something precious, what is the point of our good looks that makes an impact for a moment when you can make a greater impact with your heart?”

I thought about her words and since then my perspective has changed. I realized that I am overlooking things I need to be looking at. I realized that anything I want to achieve happens when I work on myself – from the inside – so that I am able to give. If I am not filled with love, hope, joy I am unable to give it to those who need it.

You can never give someone something you have never had. You can’t give someone water from an empty well.

I am going to end with this; imagine yourself as a well of water, people get excited when they see it, and usually get closer to see how full it is.  But if it’s empty, at first they are disappointed; second, realize it’s useless; third, walk away. How many times have people come across our path but our wells were empty? How many times people were thirsty but we were unable to satisfy their need because we were empty? A well is made for a great purpose, but if its empty, its purpose can’t be fulfilled. But remember that the emptiness of a well doesn’t change its purpose. It changes its impact.

I encourage to continue working on your “well”, keep digging, driving and drilling to access water from underground aquifers. Because our broken world doesn’t need any more “dry wells” it needs wells that will quench souls.

You have a purpose, take action.

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