Beauty Is...Her Strength
Photo by: Kat Harris
My sweet friend Dianna texted me one day "You HAVE to photograph Heidi for Beauty Is!". A few weeks later Heidi, Dianna, and I met on a busy street corner in Hollywood on an extremely hot summer day in Los Angeles, pranced through the streets taking photos, stopping to chat, taking more photos, chatting some more, and I didn't want to leave.
Heidi is an excellent make-up artist, and has a heart for people to know their identity and value and strength. Her life is such an example of one that is outward focused. Dianna thanks so much for the intro + Heidi thank you for sharing your beautiful soul with us!
XO,
Kat
Beauty is Her Strength
This very phrase has been tattooed on my foot for the past eight years. Most people misinterpret this to mean something vain, and I had trouble fully explaining the depth of its meaning until I read the book "Captivating" by John and Stasi Eldredge.
To be honest, back when I was 18 at the tattoo shop, I don’t even think my young naive mind knew what it meant. It wasn’t until I entered into my mid-twenties that I finally had a fuller understanding of the depth of this phrase.
“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” (Eldredge 133).
We hear over and over that true beauty has nothing to do with our outside, and everything to do with our inside, almost to the point that we have become numb and have lost all ability to see its truth. Haven’t you ever seen a woman who, instead of catching your eye, she catches your heart? She may not be beautiful according to our society/Hollywood/social media standards, but the spirit that radiates through her very bones and leaks out through her smile is so strong that it imprints itself in your memory and you find yourself wanting to be around this woman, yet you don’t know why.
These strong and beautiful women don't get their confidence through trying. Most of them don’t even know how to put makeup on! They don’t compare themselves to other women and wish they were like them. Instead, their biggest comparison is the simple reflection and evaluation of their own life.
Every so often I've found myself guilty of comparing myself to others, or find others drowning in unhappiness because they are doing the same. All too often we look at other people's lives and wish our own were different.
We compare ourselves to every other woman and play the "If only" game in our minds, so much so that we miss the greatest beauty that lies within our own selves.
If only I was as pretty as her, then I would be {fill on the blank}. If only I was as good as she is at {fill on the blank}. If only I had as many followers on {insert social media here}. If only I had a different job or was making more money I'd be able to {fill on the blank}. If only I my body wasn't so I'd be {fill on the blank}. If only I hadn't done {blank} in my past, I wouldn't be {blank}.
There are so many more scenarios that could continue on this list, but you get my drift. Each one of us has played that mind game too many times to admit and unfortunately, if not kept in check, we find ourselves in misery because we obsess over everyone else’s “strengths.”
What’s so interesting to me is I’ve spent a lot of time in the last year or more reflecting on my past and some of the choices I’ve made. I realized that I spent so much time using my outward beauty to control a man. I thought that’s what it was for. But then at the same time, needed a man to make me feel beautiful. Wait, WHAT?!
It wasn’t until I surrendered to God everything within me that I felt like I had become a woman. My beauty was no longer my strength. My inner strength, because of God, had become my beauty.
I realized that the things that make us unique both in our personality traits and our appearance, are some of the most beautiful characteristics that can’t be bought from a store or a surgeon, or stolen from someone else’s life.
“Beauty is mysterious. And that should not surprise us. Women are creatures of great mystery; not problems to be solved but mysteries to be enjoyed. And that, too, is part of her glory” (Eldredge 134).
Our womanly beauty and strength comes from the contentment within our heart. Look in the mirror daily and tell yourself you're beautiful. One day you might actually believe it.
XO,