Beautiful Things
Inspired by Benson Boone's hit song
Yesterday evening was a little tough. I was exhausted, emotional, and on the edge of a breakdown. Full transparency, I had gotten in a small argument with my mom in the morning about something you’d probably never guess- hair extensions. Tell me you grew up in a beauty shop without telling me LOL.
You know how you sometimes get bored with your appearance and want a little change. That’s how I was feeling. “I want to do something different with my hair, but I don’t know what,” I told my mom the day prior. Well, as fate would have it, I found out a girl who works at the same salon as my mom had just gotten a certification to install extensions AND she was looking for models.
I quickly asked my mom if I should volunteer as tribute, to which she replied with a laundry list of ideas for why I should not. I was frustrated and left for work, definitely feeling some tension in the air. All day I kind of held onto the resentment.
When I got home, my mom seemed to have gotten over the argument. So, I had a choice. I could either continue to act cold towards her, or I could just put it all behind me. I chose the latter. This whole situation was silly, but it inspired the topic for this post: the blessing & burden of beauty.
In a conversation with my counselor earlier this year, I remember expressing to her how confusing social media, boundaries, and modesty was. I love dressing up, taking cute pictures, editing them, and posting them, but I always felt this nagging sense of guilt. On the one hand, I’ve wondered, “Is this selfish? Is this sinful?” But on the other hand, I wondered, “What is the point?”
I joined Instagram my junior year of high school (late bloomer, I know). I told my dad it was so I could network for my upcoming run as an Area FFA Officer, but deep down, I was hoping that the app would somehow help me get a boyfriend. I know, this sounds silly, but it’s the truth. I was very shy in high school and was sure all the boys just thought of me as “one of the twins”. In my mind, this was my chance to set myself apart and show people that I was more than the labels they placed on me.
Flash forward five years. High school bre would be happy to know that Instagram has, in fact, allowed me to have a few flings- but nothing more. Again I found myself asking, “What’s the point?”
As I conversed with my counselor about this topic, she encouraged me with something really profound. “Has it ever occurred to you that God gave you beauty, creativity, and even humor for you to enjoy? It doesn’t always have to be used as a way to attract someone else.” This really hadn’t occurred to me, but it deeply encouraged me.
I was walking around worrying if I was too much, not enough, inappropriate, cringy, or whether anyone even cared what I posted, when all along God was just happy I was inviting Him into my posts in the first place.
Of course, there are boundaries regarding what to post and of course you should use wisdom, but allow this to be a reminder that your beauty is a blessing from the Lord.
And I don’t just mean physical beauty. I’m referring to the beautiful artwork that is your life- the way you laugh, the type of music you like, the way you fix your hair, the way you organize (or not organize your room), the way you do your eyeshadow, and all the other quirky things that make you, you.
These are all gifts to make the burdens of life not quite so heavy. God is an incredibly creative and complex God, and He loves to showcase these aspects of His character. It makes sense that we are just the same.
I’ll say it again. Your beauty is a blessing. Not just for men, but for you as well.
So, fix your hair, do your makeup, and make the Tiktok- all for the glory of God. Dress up for no reason, have an impromptu photo shoot, and choose the perfect song to go along with your post.
And when you feel the ache of sadness and wonder “What’s the point if no one notices?”, take a deep breath and know that God notices, and He’s delighted that His daughter is finding joy in the beautiful things around her.
And when inevitably you have a bad hair, makeup, or outfit day, take it as an opportunity to focus on what really matters- your inner beauty. But that’s a topic for a different blog post ;)
If you would’ve told little Bre that I’d be (almost) 22 and still single, I would have been so disappointed. However, my singleness honestly been one of the biggest blessings of my life- right up there with the blessing of being a twin.
On a recent episode of the Stay True podcast with Madison Prewett Troutt, her guest DawnChere Wilkerson put words to what God has been speaking to me. DawnChere said:
“I was so afraid to have the label of ‘infertility girl’. I didn’t want that label. But I came to a place before I had the baby where God really brought healing to my heart. I wasn’t afraid of that anymore. It was as if He said, ‘DawnChere, you can let others identify with your pain without allowing your pain to identify you. . . But if someone else sees you as the girl that went through infertility and finds the healing power in My presence that you found . . . what a powerful thing . . .”
So, I’ll continue sharing my struggles through singleness, and Lord-willing, my future relationship, engagement season, marriage, motherhood, and beyond. I don’t know about you, but I’m excited.
Love,
Breanna Reese Chavez
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So good!!! Beauty can be for us to enjoy. You just update us on the hair extensions lol