Real Beauty

I was just watching TV, one of the luxuries of being on the road. OK, I watch at home too, but watching on the road always gives me a different perspective.

In this particular case, I was watching a commercial that came on (nope, no Tivo out here!) and it was all about hair color. At the end of this hair color commercial the sponsor company puts up a web site address "campaignforrealbeauty.com"

Am I the only one that finds that wrong?

As with so much else I see around me, it seems like companies much like the people who make them up, miss the real point in things. In this case, they've missed real beauty. No, not just because they had a hair color commercial before the web site address, but because they're missing what real beauty is.

Being in LA for the week, and being out and about town a bit, I get to see all kinds of "beauty." Some natural, some not. And, as a disclaimer, no, I don't think there is anything wrong with being physically attractive. Good thing too, my wife is one hot number and if I thought that was wrong I'd be in real trouble!

But beauty isn't something that's external. Oddly enough I think Hollywood got it right finally (well, kind of) when they released shallow Hal. My favorite scene is when they show Hal going on a trip (I think it's with Gweneth Paltrow's character) and another couple. When they show the other couple in "normal view" the chick is supposed to be a real hottie, but when they show Hal's view they show a shriveled up old hag. And thus, in many cases, is the truth.

Real beauty is something that happens from the inside out. And, it's the reason why this week I've been pining away for my honey. I know I've mentioned my wife at different times, but I'll risk talking about her for a moment again. Besides being muy caliente physically, my wife is also very smart (delivered the speech to the National Honor Society when she was in high school - yah, smart), thrifty, industrious, virtuous, kind, considerate, caring, loving, charming, charismatic, a leader of women, a trust worthy confidant, compassionate and above all else, a woman with a heart after God. My wife has more character in her pinkie than most people hope to have in their life time. And that folks is real beauty.

Real beauty is the thing that makes your heart ache when you're 3000 miles away. Real beauty is what makes you miss someone even when you're 300 feet away. Real beauty is that thing that draws you to someone like a magnet long after the initial infatuation with physical beauty has worn off. Real beauty is what makes you confident you can share your most important dreams, greatest triumphs and worse disappointments - and know that you'll get the best resopnse. Real beauty is what motivates you even when you aren't motivated, it's what keeps you going when you can't even see where you're going, and it gives you strength when you've no strength left.

So. I'd like to start a campaign for real beauty too. I'll start with me. I know what I'm doing. I'm getting in front of the most powerful being in the universe and I'm asking him to give me real beauty. I'm asking him to change me so that I look so much like him - that people actually see him. Because, if I do that, then I'm going to have all those things I told you about my wife. How do I know that? LOL. Where do you think she gets all those great attributes from? Right. It's called Godly character, and it is real beauty.

Galations 5:22-23 says "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness (also meekness which is defined as power with restraint), and self-control. Against such things there is no law." A lot of people talk a lot of smack about the Bible, but here's the crux. Can you find anything wrong with all of us exhibiting more of the above? Would this world be a better or worse place if we did? Exactly.

Here's the deal. Like I said, I'll start with me. You want to help beautify the world? Give it real beauty? Have a go at it too.