"Do you love me because I am beautiful, or am I beautiful because you love me?"

"Do you love me because I am beautiful, or am I beautiful because you love me?" ~Cinderella



Relationships are an awesome part of God's plan and love is a beautiful gift that He created. Relationships can be more than romance, they can be deep friendships, brother/sister relationships with people close to us. I don't know that I have ever really appreciated the true love of friendship until now. I think, unfortunately, sometimes in life it takes tragedy, pain, and sorrow to bring about a true appreciation for the things that should mean so much like friendship. I don't know that I ever really valued friendship as much as I do now. When you are in a crisis it is then that you begin to realize who your true friends are..It's amazing! I found the above quote from Cinderella very interesting. I haven't watched Cinderella for years and years but I came across the quote yesterday and I just could not get it out of my mind. "Do you love me because I am beautiful, or am I beautiful because you love me?" Am I loved by my friends because of what I may or may not look like or by what I do or don't have, or by the talents that I have or do not posses. Or do they love for me, for who I really am, an imperfect, human being? Does their love for this imperfect human being turn that imperfect human being into something beautiful in their eyes? When I love something it has value where before it didn't have the same value in my eyes. Hmm...something to think about. I can't help but wonder if that is the way it is with us and God. When God looks at me, He can see right through the nice person I try to portray that I am, the smile on my face, the courtesy I use on the phone in the office. He sees the imperfect person that I am. He sees the real me, the unworthy sinner, He sees everything that I try so hard to hide. How then can I become beautiful in His eyes? John 3:16 says it so incredibly well. "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." I like to break that down to my level.. "For God so loved me, that He gave His only begotten Son, that if I believe on Him I can live with Him someday forever." He gave His Son for me because of the deep love He has for me! I am beautiful because He loves me! It's so awesome to know that if not one person on the face of planet really loves me for who I am that I have a God in Heaven that knows how unworthy I am but loves me as if I was perfectly perfect. I'm so grateful for the love of friends and for the undying love that Christ Jesus has for me. It's when I accept His love that I am truly beautiful.