Beauty Day 11
Unfading Beauty of Legacy

Proverbs 31:10-31
1 Peter 3:3-4
1 Samuel 16:7

I want to leave a legacy
How will they remember me?
Did I choose to love?
Did I point to You enough
To make a mark on things
I want to leave an offering
A child of mercy and grace
Who blessed Your name unapologetically
And leave that kind of legacy

Seven years ago I typed up these lyrics from Nichole Nordeman’s song, “Legacy” and glued it onto some cardstock before hanging it on a mobile I created to represent “me”.  This mobile was shaped like a ring and had several other cardstock pieces hanging from it. One had a picture of my dream home, another a picture of what I wanted to be when I grew up, as well as an array of other interesting things. But this one specific square had a front and a back. On the front were the above lyrics and on the back was a picture of me and my dance instructor. Below our picture, I described how inspiring she was in my life, how she was a wife and a mama but most of all loved Jesus, and I wrote that I wanted to be like her one day.
I will always remember this special lady in my life as a classic beauty, but also as a woman who left a legacy in the life of every single person she has interacted with.

I think we all know a few women like her.
Women who will forever be marked in our minds as someone who
passionately loved God and furiously loved others.
In fact, the faces of these women are probably popping up in your thoughts as you read!

Legacy leavers.
Wave starters.
Prayer warriors.
Gift givers.
Joy producers.
Anointed worshipers.
Ripple-causing women who are making a tremendous impact on this world.

Just as noticeable as their love and legacy is that they are marked with an indescribable beauty. Not your typical “People Magazine’s Most Beautiful Woman” beauty.
But a beauty that is a completely undeniable, unsurpassable, breath-catching and peaceful.
You look at her face, and beyond wrinkles or blemishes, gray hair or red, cute clothes or faded old ones, her face is covered in peace.
Joy highlights her cheeks.
Grace lines her smile.
Deep kindness shines from her eyes.
Gentleness and love exude from her.

These legacy leavers are beautiful women.
But the kind of beauty they possess will never fade.

Peter tells us that our beauty shouldn’t come from the embellishments that we put on ourselves, our hair, nice clothing or jewelry. Our beauty shouldn’t be found in our number 670 lipstick shade, or our perfectly highlighted and blown out locks, boutique clothes or tiffany wedding bands. And while none of that is bad, Peter’s point is that our true beauty should be our inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit. God, through Peter, reminds us that these gems are of great worth in His sight.

“Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised!” -Proverbs 31:30

One day, if granted the blessing of long life, we will all have faces lined with wrinkles and hair peppered with grey. Our lipstick won’t look the same on our thinning lips and our leggings won’t look quite the same on our matured bodies. If we continue to place our identity in our fleeting beauty, we may find ourselves madly disappointed in the future. However, if we focus on being women who leave a legacy and honor God with our lives, no matter our earthly age, choosing instead to place our identity in being God-fearing and gentle women, we will never have to worry about a beauty that fades.

Wave starters.
Prayer warriors.
Gift givers.
Joy producers.
Anointed worshipers.
Beautiful, God-honoring and legacy leaving women.
These will never go out of fashion!

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