Day 10 - Attitude Adjustment

Beauty Misconception: Make Up 

"You blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, 

so that the outside of it may become clean also. '

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs 

which on the outside appear beautiful, 

but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness.'"

(Matthew 23:26-27)

A friend of mine once shared with me that when she was growing up, her mother never left the house without first "putting on her face." Observing this attitude in her mother, when she was grown, she naturally came to believe that she had to put on makeup before going anywhere. For many women, this is a misconception that we've fallen prey to at some point in our lives. From my junior high years and onward, I rarely left home without putting on make up. Make up is a routine for most of us, a routine that we happen to enjoy. That is fine, and there is nothing necessarily evil about it. However, we should reflect on what our actions say about the priorities in our life. 

Today's scripture speaks clearly about the importance of cleansing the inside, making it beautiful and alive, first. What if my friend's mother had told her that she couldn't leave the house without praying? What a spiritual impact that would have had. If, in the midst of our morning rush, we prioritize prayer over exterior preparation, would not our souls shine with or without make up? Jesus is telling the Pharisees that they need to stop focusing on exterior details and first and foremost focus on the interior disposition. It is no good for the cup to be clean outside if the inside is a dirty mess. My sisters in Christ, I admit that this has been my appearance so many days! On the outside I am clean and put together with make up and hair done. Yet, on the inside I am a dirty mess of impatience, anger, judgement...ugliness. From a distance, I may look beautiful. However, those closest to me can see my actions and tell you a different story. After all, those who know us best most often look past the exterior into the interior disposition. God who knows us best of all, sees the inside and longs for it to be made beautiful through the practice of virtue. 

When we don't have our priorities right, we can easily become "beautiful on the outside, but inside filled with dead man's bones." God longs that we would be alive with the Holy Spirit inside so that our beauty shines outside. It doesn't matter how hard we work on our exterior appearance, if our interior disposition is unclean than our beauty is inconsistent and fleeting. A cup that is beautiful on the outside but holds contaminated water causes illness. A cup that is clean on the inside gives replenishment to the body and life. We can make the outside of our cup look fantastic, but if it is not filled on the inside with holiness, grace, and the joy of the Spirit, then what impact will it have? If we choose to make the inside beautiful first, we have the ability to pass on life. 

I recall a morning that I was heading to the gym and lashed out in anger at my husband. As the door slammed behind me, it hit me with a reality check. I realized how ugly I was in that moment. Even if my face had been perfectly covered in makeup and beautiful to the world, to my husband the interior disposition of my heart covered any exterior beauty. It was a lesson that I needed to learn. As most women, I long to be recognized as beautiful, but for that to be real then what lies within must also be good and beautiful. The exterior expresses the interior. A calm and patient voice expresses a peaceful spirit. A rash and angry voice expresses a spirit of anxiety and unrest. The root of the peaceful spirit is found in prayer. 

True beauty comes from the inside and if we only focus on the outside then our efforts are in vain.  Do we need an attitude adjustment? True beauty is joy that radiates from the soul in a smile. True beauty is bringing the Holy Spirit wherever we go, to share life and love with those we meet. To be beautiful to the Lord and to the world we do not need to "put on our face" but to put on the Spirit of God. A clean cup that is filled with the Holy Spirit pours joy into the world. That is the beauty that the Lord desires for us. So, let us first clean the inside of the cup through prayer and the practice of virtue. 

Today's Challenge: 

Reflect on this question, "Do I use makeup to to look good on the outside and hide an interior disposition with which I'm not truly satisfied?"  Then, ask the Lord to help you rightly prioritize the order of your beauty and to fill you with His Spirit so that your beauty might be a contagious joy given to everyone you met today. 

Today's Prayer: 

Heavenly Father, cleanse my heart and soul, so that the outside of my cup may be a reflection of the inside; clean, pure, and holy. Make my interior disposition overflow with your Holy Spirit so that I might bring true beauty into the world. Amen. 

Day 9 - Beauty Beyond Compare

Beauty Misconception: Other Women 

"Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else." (Galatians 6:4b)

Anyone woman can look around a room with other woman in it and find one that she believes is more beautiful than she is. We are quick to compare ourselves to one another. It is easy for us to see the beauty in other women, but when it comes to seeing it in ourselves, we often become blind. We are quick to praise others for their beauty, but one glance in the mirror and our minds remind us that we are not really beautiful. 

How sad it must make our Lord, that we would use other women as a measuring stick for the beauty of HIS creative work in us. How sad it must make Him, that we fail to see that our beauty is beyond compare. He made us and fashioned us, who are we to say that HIS creation doesn't measure up to the competition? We have created a mentality of comparison, because we feel the need to look to someone else to affirm our beauty. 

St. John Paul II the Great, said, "When you wonder about the mystery of yourself, look to Christ, who gives you the meaning of life." There is only one person we need to look to when we wonder about our beauty. Comparing ourselves to one another is not constructive and it doesn't help us to live true beauty. If we compare ourselves to someone, let it be Christ. Let us find the meaning in our lives in Him, and imitate his holiness, wherein we will become truly beautiful. 

Each of us was created with a unique mystery and beauty. God has a unique plan for each soul that He creates. We will each serve Him and fulfill the mission of His kingdom in a slightly different way, as we all have different gifts and talents to share. The beauty He gave us is not comparable, there will never be another beauty quite like ours. 

Let us focus on Christ and the beauty within. What if we could break the comparison mentality by affirming the interior beauty of one another? In my own life, I have noticed that the first thing women usually say to one another is a compliment about her hair, clothes, etc. It is not bad for us to give one another compliments, but what if we made a point to compliment the beauty of the interior person more than the exterior? If we affirm the virtues that we admire in other women, we will both help them to build confidence in their true beauty, and be inspired ourselves to live true beauty. 

When we understand how uniquely beautiful God created us and seek to live virtue, then we can embody this Scripture: 

"Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else."

Today's Challenge: 

Affirm the inner beauty of a woman you see today by complimenting her virtue. 

Today's Prayer: 

Heavenly Father, you have created me unique with beauty beyond compare. Please help me to believe in my own beauty. Rid me of the need to compare myself to other women. May I find my identity in Christ and live holiness. Transform my mind and heart to live true beauty. Amen. 

Day 8 - Motivated Movement

"Beloved, I hope you are prospering in every respect and are in good health, 

just as your soul is prospering."

(3 John 1:2) 

Yesterday, we reflected on the Perfect Body. It is crucial to our true beauty that we do not focus solely on the body. However, the caution should be made that this does not mean we are to neglect our bodies. The body has such a crucial role in our ability to live the vocation that we are called to and to become holy. Some of us will suffer physical aliments that will be our way of uniting with Christ to carry His cross, and that will be our way to holiness. Some of us are relatively healthy and capable of physical endurance that brings health to the body. Regardless, we are all called to care for our bodies to the best of our ability. 

Note: to care is not to be obsessed. We must have the right mindset about health. God gave us our bodies so to glorify Him, to be a temple of the Holy Spirit. He entrusted them to us as a gift, a gift that we should be take care of with due diligence. For women, we can easily become enraptured in the lie that we have to exercise and care for our bodies to have that worldly "perfect body." With these selfish motives, our diligence to care for the body is not pleasing to the Lord. However, if we have the right motives, to make our bodies strong and healthy so that we can answer the call that God has for us in life, then He is very pleased. 

Anyone who has been called to motherhood, can attest that it takes physical endurance. When our bodies are strong, our hearts are healthy, and we have energy for the day, we can perform the duties of our vocation with joy. Even if we have physical limitations, we know that eating healthy and doing what we can to be active is crucial. Those who are not mothers, perhaps high school & college students or young adults, also know that healthy eating and exercise allow them to pursue their current responsibilities with greater efficiency and success. 

When my inquisitive daughter asks me why I work out, I have learned to be very careful in my response. I do not want my daughter to begin to believe at an early age that weight defines or that exterior beauty is the focus of exercise. She has even made comments about being thin, comments that I very quickly try to meet with the truth. When she asks me why I care for my body, I tell her simply because I need my body to be healthy and strong so that I can love and serve God and live my vocation to the best of my ability. I delight in the fact that she now enjoys running along side me and doing work outs to the best of her ability. I want her to be healthy and to respect her body as a gift from God. 

Our mindset about psychical active effects a wider range of people than we may think. With the right attitude we can help others serve the Lord. Yet, we have to be careful not to put too much emphasis on the body, even in terms of health. St. Paul wrote to Timothy, "Train yourself for devotion, for, while physical training is of limited value, devotion is valuable in every respect, since it holds a promise of life both for the present and for the future" (1 Timothy 4:8). Our physical health is of limited value, it serves the soul. This is why someone who is dying of cancer can glorify God with their body, in its suffering state, because their limited health cannot take away the promise of the eternal life of the soul. In all things the body and the soul are intricately united. 

St. Paul also writes about training our souls as we would train our bodies for a race. His wisdom guides us to use our physical activity as a medium for training in holiness. We can set out for a run, sports practice, or work out, and offer it up for our holiness, the conversion of hearts, the forgiveness of sins, someone in our life who is suffering. We will be amazed of the spiritual fruit that endurance can produce. We can take our ear buds out and instead of drowning out our boredom or pain with music,  we can pray. Meditate on Scripture. Have a conversation with God about our day, our dreams, our questions, etc. The training of the body should serve the health of our souls. 

May we take care of our bodies for the right reasons. Grounded in truth, may our physical training lead our souls to health & holiness. 

Today's Challenge: 

Complete a physical activity in accordance with your ability. Whatever it may be, read 1 Timothy 4:8 before you begin. Then offer your activity up with the intention that your mindset about caring for the body will be rooted in the truth and help you to live your vocation with holiness. 

If your health or circumstances limit you from performing physical activity today, focus on healthy eating or perform a spiritual exercise instead. 

Today's Prayer: 

Heavenly Father, you are the creator of my body and my soul. Help me to understand how intricately united the two really are, and to pursue the health of both. I offer you any suffering present in my body. I offer you my health. May my body be as healthy as you will for the sake of my salvation and the glory of Your kingdom. Amen. 

Day 7 - Barbie is Not Real

Beauty Misconception: The Perfect Body

"Do you know not that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?"

(1 Corinthians 3:16)

I remember playing with Barbie as a little girl and longing to have her long flowing blond hair and long legs. Neither of which were in the genes for me! As many little girls do, I idolized Barbie. I saw her as the image of the ideal woman; perfect skin, perfect body, perfect muscular boyfriend, perfect pink convertible... the perfect life. As I grew, I began to idolize music and movie stars. They weren't dolls, but they too had the seemingly perfect life. In magazines and on television they were airbrushed and made to look like they had the perfect body too. The attention drawn to their bodies, left me to believe that having the perfect body was crucial to to having the perfect life... and I began to believe the lies that these digitally enhanced women were perfect and more beautiful than I could ever be. 

 What we immerse ourselves in has a real impact on the way we think about and treat ourselves. If we constantly view images of "perfect" women, we can begin to compare ourselves to them and feel that we need to become more like them. So we go to the gym one more time, wear more make up, get a new hair dye color, stop eating so much, stop eating all together... We convince ourselves that if we work to create the perfect body, we will eventually have it and then, then we'll be happy like those women. 

First, they aren't real women. They are in fact digitally enhanced and airbrushed. In fact, if Barbie were a real person she would not be able to stand up. She would topple right over because her proportions are so unrealistic. I recently saw a news story about a woman who underwent numerous plastic surgeries to become a replica of Barbie. I felt so sad for her because it was evident that she was very beautiful before she tried to become someone that she was not. The most beautiful replica we can become is the woman that God had in His mind and created us to be. 

Second, we don't know that they are happy. The seemingly perfect life is often just that, seemingly. We know that we don't find happiness in slavery, yet we so often allow ourselves to become slave to the pursuit of vanity. We know that counting calories, starving, and worrying about the scale, does not bring freedom. With our minds, we can reason through these truths. Yet, we let the world's ideal for the woman's body take over what we know to be true. We buy into the lies. We have to begin sowing the truth in our hearts, because to know with our minds is not enough. 

We are beautiful. We are real. We are beautiful just the way God made us. The perfections or imperfections of our bodies can not determine our beauty. The number on the scale is not the value of our worth. Saint Paul wrote, "Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?" What matters about our bodies is not that they are "perfect" in the eyes of the world, but that they are a holy dwelling place for the living God. 

On the opposite end of the beauty spectrum, a new fad has been floating around social media, to show your real body with all its imperfections. First I saw pictures of women who were mothers, showing their c-section scarred bellies, etc. The message was that we don't need to hate our bodies or compare them to the unrealistic pictures of supermodels, we should be proud of them the way they are. Most recently though, I saw a picture of a movie star who is now in her sixties. The article praised her for letting a picture go mainstream without any touch ups. However, in the photo she was scantly dressed in a provocative pose. I didn't think this was praiseworthy, but rather sad. Sure, be confident and comfortable in your body, that's what this post is all about. But, we need to realize as women that the most beautiful expression of our beauty is not seen in the unveiling our bodies to the world, but in the revealing of God through the body. The body is sacred. The body has great power, we choose how to use it. If this sixty year old had been appropriately dressed to show her natural beauty to the world, she could have led souls closer to the heart of God. 

God created each woman to be different. We must except our bodies for what they are and ask God to help us to love ourselves. We will find freedom and fulfillment when we realize that the "perfect body" is not real or worth seeking and instead focus on the perfection of the eternal soul that lives within the body. The body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, with our bodies we can bring great glory to God. As we learn to appreciate our bodies the way they are and focus on loving and serving the Lord with them, we will find true joy. 

Be real, let your body by a channel for the Holy Spirit to flow into the world.

Today's Challenge: 
Each time you look int he mirror, remember today's scripture.

Today's Prayer: 

Oh Lord, turn my eyes away from images of worldly perfection of the body and towards the interior disposition of my soul. Make me confident in my body. If ever I question the beauty of my body, remind me that it is Your temple. Amen. 

Day 6 - Changing Fashions

Beauty Misconception: Clothing/Fashion 

"Your adornment must not be merely external -braiding the hair, and wearing gold jewelry, or putting on dresses; but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God."

(1 Peter 3:3-4) 

It is so easy to get caught up in the misconception that to be beautiful and noticed we have to have the latest fashions. There is something about a new article of clothing that makes us feel more confident and beautiful. We long for the new fashions. Yet, fashions keep changing. So, we are buy one thing that we think might satisfy our longing and before we know it there is something better on sale. Are we trying to fulfill our desire for God with a material possession? 

I have definitely stood in front of my closet wishing that by staring I could magically make a new dress appear. I can convince myself that if I had that then I would feel beautiful that day. If I'm not careful, I can let my apparel determine my attitude and self-confidence. Yet, when I do get that new dress, the feeling of confidence in my beauty that it gives me only lasts a few hours or days. Eventually, when I see the next best dress or another girl with something I like more, I'm left feeling dissatisfied once again. 

Maybe this feeling of dissatisfaction is actually a blessing from the Lord. He does not want us to be so wrapped up in fashion that we forget about the soul that we dressing. In the Gospel of Matthew Jesus uses a simple flower, the lily, to shed light on this. He recalls Solomon, who was a king arrayed in colorful robes and gold, then he says, "I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these [lillies]." The Lord saw the simplicity and purity of the lily as more precious than the most expensive worldly adornment. Solomon's robes faded in comparison to the beauty of the lily. This reminds us that the beauty of the clothes we are wearing cannot compare with the natural beauty that the Lord has given us. We should be less concerned with what we put on our bodies and more concerned with who we are within our bodies. 

Don't get me wrong, clothing is not evil. In fact, if used correctly, it can help draw attention to the beauty of the soul. We can express our femininity and true beauty with clothing. Furthermore, feeling good in a new dress is not a bad thing. Yet, if we let ourselves believe that clothing can determine our beauty and worth then we have let Satan win. The Lord tells us that WE (our souls) are more beautiful than anything that we can put on. A lily is beautiful because it is precisely what God created it to be. It is simple, it is natural, and it is clothed in perfect white. We are also called to be simple, natural, clothed in the perfect white of holiness, virtue, and purity. 

Today's scripture from Peter reminds us that our adornment must not be merely external. In this season of prayer, let us examine the "hidden character of the heart" and adorn ourselves with holiness. 

Today's Challenge: 

During Lent, we practice almsgiving. So today, go into your closet and choose one thing (or a few!) to give away. As you do this, pray that the Lord will help you to detach from the desire for clothing and in its place give you a greater desire for holiness. 

Today's Prayer: 

Heavenly Father, transform my mind and my heart so that I will long to array my soul in beauty more than I long for the passing allures of material things. I want to be beautiful like the lily. Help me to become holy. Amen.  

Day 5 - Perfectly Unattainable Perfections

Beauty Misconception: The Perfect Face 

"God be gracious to us and bless us, And cause His face to shine upon us."

(Psalm 67:1)

The emotion of the heart of man is expressed and made known to others through the face. The human face has a complexity of expressions that tell us more about a person then a multitude of words. Just look at the number of emojis on your phone and you will see that we can have an entire conversation without any words at all! God created the human face to express the soul in a intricate and beautiful way.  Of course, this means that our faces draw the attention of others. As women we place a great deal of emphasis on what our faces look like, because we know that people will be observing them. Our insecurities can take over and before we know it we've traded the expression of beautiful emotion for exterior glamour. We convince ourselves that to be beautiful we have to have a perfect face.

I recently came across a women's magazine special edition on plastic surgery. The article went into extensive detail about what is necessary to have the "perfect" face. I was disgusted to find that to be beautiful (by these professionals standards), I would need an absolutely symmetrical face and a chin that comes to precise angle. They even had the angle figured to the tenth degree. The pictures and descriptions went on and on, perfectly unattainable perfections... without plastic surgery that is.  The question arises, why?  Why would we look so closely at the face and seek to perfect it in this way? The face has great power, power to convey who we are and what we feel. If we do not know who we are and who we are meant to become, then we can easily get lost in the details of exterior perfection, because they hide the absence of interior perfection. We were created in God's image, and our beauty reveals God to the world. When we focus on interior perfection, the face becomes the expression of God's love. This is the perfect face that we should strive to give others to observe. When people look at us, do they see the face of God? 

If we express our souls through our bodies, then we break through the world's perceptions of beauty. For instance, the world tells us that wrinkles are to be avoided at all costs. As we age, we should spend thousands of dollars on special creams and procedures to ward off any signs of aging. Yet, any one in the world could look at Mother Teresa with her aging wrinkled face and see her beauty. She was so full of love and holy. She brought joy to everyone she met with her gentle smile. Jenny Schroedel said, "People like Mother Teresa didn't spend much time in front of the mirror. Instead, she devoted herself to becoming a mirror, reflecting God's dancing light wherever she went." What was so entrancing about the face of Mother Teresa was that it became a mirror of her virtue. Look at a picture of her, you are immediately drawn into her beauty. It is as if you can see the holiness of her soul radiating through the smile on her face. The complexity of her face, became a beautiful expression, not only of her emotion, but of the love of God. When people looked at her, they saw the face of God. 

Our faces are prone to all kinds of "imperfections." We will not avoid acne, redness, wrinkles, etc. We were not likely created with a precise "perfect" angle of the chin. Yet, we have the power to show the world who God is through the gentleness, kindness, joy, and love expressed on our faces. 

When people look at us, will they see the beauty of our souls? 

Today's Challenge: 

Print a picture of Blessed Mother Teresa (or use a holy card) and put it on your bathroom mirror. When you look at it ask the Lord to help you to look past the "imperfections" of your face and to radiate true beauty like her. 

Today's Prayer: 

Heavenly Father, you know the desires of my heart. You gave me a great desire for beauty so that I would seek virtue. Help me to grow in virtue so as to be truly beautiful. Help me to focus on the interior and become a mirror for you. May I not strive for worldly beauty but a beauty that shines from my soul. Let my face shine with your love. Amen. 

Day 4 - The Author of Beauty

"People look at the good things around them and still fail to see the living God. They have studied the things he made, 

but they have not recognized the one who made them.

 Instead, they suppose that the gods who rule the world are fire or wind or storm or the circling stars or rushing water or the heavenly bodies.  

People were so delighted with the beauty of these things 

that they thought they must be gods, 

but they should have realized that these things have a master 

and that he is much greater than all of them, 

for he is the author of beauty, and he created them. 

Since people are amazed at the power of these things, and how they behave, they ought to learn from them that their maker is far more powerful.

 When we realize how vast and beautiful the creation is, 

we are learning about the Creator at the same time."

(Wisdom 13:1-5)

God is the author of beauty. Beauty exists to reveal God. Everything that is beautiful in creation points us to the creator who is more beautiful. If we know God, we might feel drawn to thank Him for a beautiful sunset. The beauty of creation has a way of drawing us to goodness, to God. This scripture warns that we should be careful not to make the creation a god, but allow creation to help us to understand the Creator. 

Have we not all been guilty of this at one time or another? We look at the beauty of the created human body, and we make it our god. We strive endlessly to make our bodies perfect creations and we uphold other women who we perceive to be perfect as idols. We feel that we constantly have to be creating or recreating ourselves to keep up with the current beauty trends. In the midst of our focus on beauty and becoming beauty, we forget one important truth; God is the Creator, we are not. We do not need to create ourselves. He created us, and he is the author of beauty. 

The beauty of creation reveals the Creator. God made humans as the high point of creation. He created man and woman in His image. Beauty then for us, is the image of God dwelling within us. God, who is also the author of life, has given us life and created us beautiful by fashioning us in His image. When we embrace God's life within us, we are truly beautiful. 

The hand of God created each woman unique and unrepeatable. If beauty teaches us about the author of beauty, then the unique beauty of every woman is meant to teach us something different about God. When we embrace His life and live as His daughters, we allow our beauty to point other's to Him. As we live virtue in our own unique way, we reveal a part of who God is to the world in a way that no one else can. Our beauty is an incredible gift that can draw us and others to the heart of God. 

If we make our physical beauty an idol for ourselves or others, the world will miss out on the a knowing God through our unique expression of true beauty. Our beauty begins in our souls. Our souls are God's most intimate creation, wherein He imprinted His own image. The body is the home for the soul, thus it is through our bodies that the image of God is reflected. Our bodies are not a god, we need to focus our attention on the interior. We must first seek to live in communion with God, allowing His life to dwell within us. As we live in grace and grow in virtue we will experience an outpouring of His life and beauty. Then, our beauty will shine forth from our souls and draw others to God as it is intended to do. 

May we find freedom in the truth that we do not need to create ourselves to be beautiful. We are perfectly created by the author of beauty. The journey to live in His grace and grow in virtue is ongoing and not always easy, but the world is waiting to see the beauty of God, and we each have a unique part to play. 

Today's Challenge: 

Focus on revealing God to the world by the beauty of your soul. Smile, give, love, share, and be joyful. 

Today's Prayer: 

Heavenly Father, Author of Life, Author of Beauty, come and dwell in my soul. Pour your grace into my heart and fill me with your presence. I want to live as your daughter and the beautiful creation that you made me to be. Thank you for fashioning me, molding me, and designing me to be beautiful. Thank you for giving me a desire for beauty that leads me to you. Teach me what it means to be truly beautiful. May my beauty always turn my eyes and the eyes of others towards you. Amen. 

Day 3 - The Desire for Beauty

"Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart."

(Psalm 37:4) 

In the depths of woman's heart there is a desire to be seen as beautiful. We long to be cherished and loved. We long for someone to say to us, "You are beautiful my love" (Song of Solomon 1:15). We desire to be known, not just as a beautiful form, but as a beautiful person. We long for someone to see the interior unseen beauty of our soul and recognize us as perfectly made. 

Our culture is obsessed with the exterior image, but why? The root of our obsession is the desire for beauty that God placed in our hearts. The truth is that this desire can only be fulfilled by the One who placed it there. God made woman to desire beauty because He created her soul to be perfect. God created us to be made perfect in virtue and allow the interior depths of our souls to shine forth and reveal to the world the beauty of His creation. Above all else, it is God who will fulfill the desire of our hearts for beauty. It is in Him that we find true beauty. He is the One who can satisfy our heart's longing to hear the words, "You are beautiful my love." 

Our desire for beauty is good. What we do with that desire is up to us. Each day we make a decision on how we will fulfill the desire for beauty. It is easy to make the decision to focus on the exterior. Everywhere we look on social media, magazines, movies, etc., we are encouraged to make what we look like on the outside the focus of our attention. Culture has a way of hijacking truth. We are made to believe that the desire of our heart will be fulfilled by becoming more thin, wearing more makeup or having the right clothes. That is not to say that culture is evil, but that we are lost on the road to the fulfillment of our heart's desire. We are settling for less than for what we were made.

Even when man comes to appreciate our true beauty, their love is made to draw us even deeper into the heart of God and to help us to become perfect.  We will never find the complete satisfaction of our hearts desire for beauty without the Creator of beauty. Yet, we continue to settle for less than complete fulfillment because we get lost in the fleeting contentment that worldly beauty offers. The desire for beauty is good, this Lenten challenge is not about silencing that desire. Rather, the aim of this devotional is to help us find the road to lasting fulfillment. On this road, we will come to appreciate our physical beauty as an expression of our interior beauty. 

"Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart." 

As we continue to give our hearts to the Lord, He will give us what we desire. He will lead us to believe in our beauty and to live as the perfectly made daughters that He created us to be. The desire for beauty is good, let's give it to the Lord and let Him make it something great, something heavenly. 

Today's Challenge: 

Consider the desire of your heart for beauty. Is your attention more outward focused than inward? Challenge yourself to make your attention focused on the interior by giving up one outward vanity today (small or large), and spend some time in prayer thanking God for the desire for beauty. 

In your prayer listen to "Ovewhelmed" by Big Daddy Weave. 

Today's Prayer: 

Heavenly Father, thank you for creating me with the desire for beauty. Please take my desire and use it for your glory. Take my hand and continue to lead me on the road to true beauty and fulfillment. Help me to "delight" myself in You. I give you freedom to change the desires of my heart so that I can become the daughter you created me to be. 

I love you, Jesus, more than anything. Amen. 

2 - Fast with the Heart

"Create in me a clean heart, O God,

And renew a steadfast spirit within me."

(Psalm 51:10) 

As I have I mentioned, many of my Lent experiences through the years have been a mere "going through the motions." These actions of obligation without the foundation of love were of little value and did not produce great fruit. I've come to understand that to follow God's law by obligation is to be less than I was created to be. Likewise, to attempt to make commitments to fasting, prayer, and almsgiving, without love will not create a long term change. Transformation is rooted in love. 

Transformation is rooted in love. One thing that has helped me to understand this is my motherhood. Parents make all kinds of sacrifices for their children. The sacrifices that hurt the most are the ones that are the most life-changing, they help us to become the best version of ourselves, to make ourselves a gift. There is a saying that goes something like this, "Obligation pours a glass of milk, but love stirs in a little chocolate." Now, I don't think my children need chocolate milk at every meal. However, the premise of this quote is true. When I give out of obligation, I do the bare minimum required of me. When I give out of love, I add a little extra. When I "add chocolate" by giving more of myself to my children, their eyes light up with joy and great is my reward. When we enter Lent with fasting, prayer and almsgiving, not out of obligation, but out of love, great is the joy on our Lord's face and great will be our reward. 

Let us begin this journey by focusing on why we are doing what we are doing. Social Media is exploding #ashtag pictures and articles on what to give up for Lent. The buzz is that we are supposed to give something up, but most of us do not think too deeply about why. So, each year these forty days come and go as we offer empty sacrifice and experience very little transformation. Let's not miss the opportunity to become who we are created to be. The Lord takes delight in sacrifices offered with the heart. God's concern with sacrifices is not what we sacrifice but how we sacrifice. Our Lord loves sacrifices that we make with the intention of growing closer to Him. 

On September 20, 1984, Our Lady of Medjugorje said, 

"Dear children, today I call you to begin fasting with the heart. There are enough people who fast - but only because everybody else is fasting. It has become a routine which no one wants to discontinue. Dear children, fast and pray with the heart." 

 As we begin this True Beauty Challenge, we focus our attention on making an offering of the heart. If transformation is rooted in love, then our "beauty transformation" begins with the heart. In order to understand our true beauty, our hearts must belong to the Lord. He must have complete permission to mold our understanding and change us according to His truth. 

Don't just fast, pray and give alms this Lent... add a little chocolate to the cup of obligation and watch it overflow. 

Today's Prayer: 

Lord Jesus, in today's Gospel you said, “If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself

and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. What profit is there for one to gain the whole world yet lose or forfeit himself?” (Luke 9:24) 

Help me, Lord to pick up my cross, to give more than I think I can this Lent, even if it hurts. I offer you my heart. Help me to fall more in love with you. Mold me with your transformative hand. Help me to know my dignity and to become more beautiful. I love You, Jesus, more than anything. Amen. 

Today's Challenge: 

Spend ten minutes in prayer. Offer your heart to Jesus and give Him permission to mold your understanding of true beauty. Tell Him of your desire to be truly beautiful. Ask Him to give you strength to offer Him this sacrifice with your heart everyday this Lent. Consider beginning a Lenten journal and begin writing your thoughts there. 

1 - Ash Wednesday

"God cannot fill what is full. He can only fill emptiness, deep poverty, and your 'yes' is the beginning of being or becoming empty. It is not how much we really 'have' to give, but how empty we are, so that we can receive fully in our life and let Him live His life in us." 

-Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta 

It is Ash Wednesday. As a child, I remember hating this day! I did not understand what it meant. I just knew two things. The first was that I would have to go to church for a Mass that was even longer than usual (because everyone would have to walk to the front twice!). The second was that I'd be smeared with dirt. I remember always walking out of the church in total humiliation. When I got home I would immediately run to the bathroom to wash my forehead. 

It wasn't until college that I really began to understand Ash Wednesday. To my surprise receiving ashes was not a meaningless ritual imposed on me by the church and my parents. The Catholic Church in her great wisdom does have a reason for this ritual, and it is beautiful. Since Old Testament times, ashes have been a sign of repentance. "Lent" literally means "rebirth." We begin the season with an outward sign that we will die to ourselves and our worldly desires in order to embrace Christ and prepare for rebirth and resurrection on Easter. 

I was also surprised to find that there was actually meaning behind the fasting we were asked to do during Lent. In the past, I had always given up the usual chocolate or soda, but only because I knew my teachers at the Catholic school would ask me from what I would be fasting. I admit that I didn't even usually succeed at fasting from the thing I gave up, and usually changed my commitment at some point during the forty days. 

Mother Teresa speaks about emptying ourselves so that we can be filled. Whatever we decide to fast from this Lent, we should remember that our sacrifice is not meaningless. When we empty ourselves of something earthly, we make room for Jesus to fill us with something heavenly. Lent is forty days in the desert. What is in the desert? Nothing! Simplicity is in the desert. Wide open space.  We have been given the opportunity to journey into the desert with Christ. This is a time to make our lives more like Christ's by embracing fasting, prayer, and almsgiving. It is a time to empty ourselves of sin and distraction so that Jesus can fill our hearts with truth and life. He wants to walk with us through the desert, down the road to calvary, and ultimately to "rebirth" and new life on Easter. 

Our rebirth will be a renewal of our minds, hearts and souls in light of the truth about beauty. We have forty days to become different women, better women, more beautiful women. Let's start off right. Let's enter Lent with joy and intentional commitment. This liturgical season is a great blessing with deep rooted meaning, it is a time to journey with Christ and to become more holy. Let us pray today that God will fill our hearts as we fast and seek His truth. 

Today's Prayer: 

Heavenly Father, thank you for the season of Lent. Please bless my sacrifice in these forty days. Please lead me closer to your heart and into a deeper understanding of the beautiful creation you have made me to be. Do not allow me to end these forty days unchanged, but transform my mind, heart, and soul. I love you Jesus, I give myself to You and consecrate this True Beauty Challenge to You. Amen. 

Today's Challenge: 

Go to Mass. Begin Lent right by receiving Jesus in the Eucharist and offering the next forty days to Him. Then, wear your ashes proudly as a sign of your commitment to leave behind worldly desires and journey closer to the heart of Christ.