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Monday, June 29, 2009

In the Name of Love

Last week, I had the honor and privilege of attending a class that my dear friend, Bianca, was giving. She is a WONDERFULLY gifted speaker and she is doing incredible things with that gift. She's also a very talented writer and I look forward to reading her blog every day! Today I was greeted with a post that absolutely blew me away and made me think a lot. With her permission, I'd like to share it with you. Because I couldn't have said it better myself :)

"It called to me from the coffe table like a Siren at sea. It was if I heard intoxicating songs about French fashion with a Parisian accent as I lifted up the most recent edition of the holy grain of fashion. Yes, it was if Jean Paul Gaultier himself lured me to sea only to die from desire. I flipped through fashion magazines and drooled over dresses that I foolishly believed were going to make me a haute couture woman who spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on garments designed to tailor-fit my waist, hips, and [not so long] legs. The magazine documented waif-like woman on the Parisian runway who stopped and did a little turn on the catwalk... and I was undone!

In that nanosecond I truly believed that if I put on that dress, I will be the envy of every woman and the desire of every man. Coco Chanel would applaud me and Christian Lacroix would nod at my fashion saavy decision to pair a vintage Valentino piece with a Balenciaga heel. I would bask in my prowess and pride and stand before the world because I had something no one else had: haute couture clothing. A one-of-kind, hand-sewn, pain-stakingly difficult garment made through the blood, sweat, and tears of a little Italian woman hunkered over a pile of priceless material and thread.

I hate to admit this but I bought into the lie that couture clothing and designer handbags will make me that much better than the girl to my left and the guy on my right. The truth of the matter is I'm not. I'm not better with Jimmy Choo high heels (to fight over), a Hermes crocodile handbag (to die over), and a Gucci print designed by Tom Ford (to lust over).

I shut the magazine and I was convicted. The one letter boldly printed on the cover stared back at me in silence as if letting me know W stood for Wanton or Wishing, but definitely not Wisdom. I'm not a fashionista, I'm not a wealthy heiress, or socialite. But I realized something profound in the glossy pages of a fashion magazine: I am a haute couture woman. I have a one-of-a-kind Savior who has tailor-fit to my soul and has pain-stakingly created a piece of art through blood (Matthew 26:28), sweat (Luke 22:43), and tears (John 11:35). By the avant-garde holes in His wrists and pierced side, He has designed a robe of righteousness for me that no one else could create for me. Yes, I love adorning the exterior, but more importantly than any robe I can put on, is the fact that the Creator of the Universe lives inside of me. Therefore I am and heiress; an heiress to the kingdom of God (James 2:5).

Today I will walk down the catwalk of Life sharing my haute couture relationship with my Savior. And if I'm feeling up to it, I may just do a little turn on the catwalk. Why not?

In order to be irreplaceable, one must be different--Coco Chanel"

In photography, so much of what we do is based on how people look. When getting ready for a photo shoot, the most common questions I get are in regards to appearance. "What should I wear?" "Should I have my make-up professionally done?" "How many outfits can I bring?" Those things all play a big role in beautiful pictures. But something else makes an even bigger impact: A person's heart. I know, it seems cliche... odd even... but really. When I meet someone with a beautiful heart, that beauty absolutely shines through, and regardless of how many outfits they wear or don't wear, or how much make-up is on their faces, they are truly stunning.

You often hear the argument that "pictures last a lifetime". Many times this is when someone is trying to get you to pay for their photos :) And as true as that seems to be, something that lasts even longer is a beautiful heart. A relationship with God. Loving people. THOSE are things that truly last beyond a lifetime.

Bianca, thank you for sharing your beautiful heart in this post! I think it is something that we all fall into. We need to be reminded that we are beautifully and wonderfully made (
Psalm 139:14).

And just because she's both beautiful AND talented... here's a shot of B doing her thing last week! I got so caught up in what she was saying, that I forgot to take pictures... so there will be more to come, I promise :)

Photobucket


2 comments:

Bianca said...

I'm so proud to be a friend and I can't wait to see where your photography takes you :)

B

Lindsay said...

I read this on Bianca's blog and was totally challenged too. I love what you say about having a beautiful heart...it's so true. Too many times we focus on the outside and try to make that nicer but it is our hearts that make us truly beautiful.
Great photo too!