self interview

For the past few weeks, I have been working on a project called unbranded beauty. I have interviewed 30 women about beauty, and they have all been wonderfully honest and vulnerable. As I try to wrap things up, it was time for me to interview myself. And since I wouldn't want to ask someone to do something I wouldn't do myself, here are the answers:

Megan

What do you think beauty is?
Beauty is a glimmer of eternal perfection, woven through our fallen world, which leads us to acknowledge and glorify it’s Author and Source. When I see something beautiful, in a person, a piece of art, a conversation, or a place, it awakens a longing in my heart for heaven.

Do you think your beautiful?
When I remember I am precious to the Lord, and so loved by Him, I think I’m beautiful. Otherwise, I lose my confidence, feel insecure, and become fearful of being rejected by others. When I feel this way, I am unable to be vulnerable, with God and people, and I miss out on the intimacy and love which vulnerability creates. I am learning how to find my confidence in Christ, and realizing I can fully be myself in Him, without any fears.

When do you feel the most beautiful?
When I am driving fast down the highway with my windows down, the wind is blowing through my hair, and I am singing loudly to song on the radio. I feel free, unrestrained, and completely uninhibited to be myself.

What do you wish women knew about real beauty?
That “beautiful” and “sexy” are not the same things. Sadly, even amongst Christians, those terms are used interchangeably. The word sexy means, “intending to arouse sexual desire,” something that’s encouraged and applauded by our culture. We can be sexy through our attire, what and how we say things, our body language, and out attitudes. But beauty is much deeper and very different than that. It’s a unique expression God seen in an individual. It’s not an attitude that can be put on and off, it’s a structural component of a someone’s essence. On an given night you can walk into a club in any city in the world and find dozen’s of women who are “sexy.” But to meet a woman who is truly beautiful, is a rare encounter. And when you meet her, she is easily recognizable.