Cultivating Beauty
I recently had the opportunity to orient a new co-worker in the nursing field. She happens to be my mom’s age and looking at surface level we have very little in common. But, from the day she interviewed, I loved her. I kept asking myself why? How could I like someone so much from the very beginning? That’s when I started thinking about this month’s topic for Home in the Hollow - cultivating beauty.
According to Oxford Languages, the word beauty can be described as “a combination of qualities that pleases the intellect or moral sense.” Similarly, the word beautiful is defined as “the pleasing or attractive features of something.”
As I’ve mulled over this topic, I asked myself what do I find beautiful? It took me a while to sort out my thoughts. But I realized the things I found beautiful had very little to do with beauty products lining store shelves. It wasn’t hair and nails. It wasn’t shoes. It wasn’t fashion. Now don’t get me wrong, I enjoy a good outfit like the next girl! But my soul isn’t moved by the beauty of a pair of pants.
I started to think about beautiful people. Who were they? What did they do?
"You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty the comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God." 1 Peter 3:4
The more Stacy (my fellow nurse) and I trained together the more I noticed her character. She is self-controlled, easy-going, kind, compassionate, and trustworthy. She is quick to smile and joke around. She’s not afraid to laugh at herself. She’s a good listener. She’s got spunk. But best of all, she has a humble and teachable attitude. Being around her makes my job easier and I enjoy my day at work much more when she’s there.
Stacy has taught me that despite seemingly wide differences, we can impart beauty into the lives of others. A kind word, a shared joke, or the simple willingness to learn something new is truly beautiful.
My challenge to Home in the Hollow Readers this month is to evaluate the beautiful characteristics you have to offer. Maybe it’s sharing laughs and smiles with a friend. Maybe it’s being easygoing with your husband’s hairbrained idea. Or perhaps its being willing to listen and admit that we really don’t know it all. Whatever it is, let’s take a deeper look at ourselves to see what beauty we can bring to those around us.
There are several facets to beauty that we will hopefully dive into over the next few weeks. But I wanted to start with what I felt was the most important - the beauty of character. I hope you’ve found this post encouraging. Leave a comment with characteristics that you find beautiful. If you’re feeling really brave share a friend, family member, or role model who exhibits (or exhibited) these characteristics!
As always, thanks for reading!
Abby
