Sierra Elizabeth Bell
July 17, 2016
More Beautiful
I was sitting on the slide with a little girl and boy who could both speak English. After chatting for a little while the boy put his arm and my arm next to each other. He said, “Look at the difference!” Before I had time to respond the girl touched both of our arms and asked, “Which one is more beautiful?” The look on her face was clear – What I was going to say, she would believe it. I went on to tell her how both of us were beautiful no matter what skin color we had. Then we told each other the things we found beautiful about the other. I thought about our conversation long after it ended. I didn’t understand how in today’s world, a little girl still questioned her beauty based on her skin color. If you think about it, though, none of us would feel secure in our identity if we didn’t have Jesus. By identifying myself as a child of God, I know that no matter what flaws I have – inside or out – that I am beautiful to Him. God has been showing me so many things on this trip, but one that really sticks out is how God sees beauty in His creation no matter the flaw. Here in Swaziland there is brokenness, more than I have seen before, but there is always brokenness because, as humans, we are flawed and have a sinful nature. When you look out at the Swaziland horizon, it is so beautiful, and the mountains and sky speak to the glory of God’s creation. As you are looking at how beautiful it all is, you don’t even realize the brokenness. When you get a closer look at the city, and the houses, and the people, the flaws and the brokenness are evident. In the same way, when God looks at us, He can see our brokenness, but He chooses to look at us for who we are in HIM – children of most high God created in His image! We are all broken, but God has been showing me that He loves us where we are – even through our brokenness. Because to God, we are all More Beautiful.
Sierra Bell
