Tomorrow I am speaking to the Young Women from the Burbank wards. I am speaking to them about True Beauty. Because I work in the photo industry and have been working mainly as a photo re-toucher for the past 3 years I have come to learn that Beauty as the world sees it and TRUE beauty couldn't be further from each other. I have made people with amazing skin look flawless, I have made skinny girls skinnier, I have made genuinely beautiful people look 'perfect'. But what IS perfect? Is there such a thing? I suppose that someone could spend their life trying to attain the perfect body. But true beauty comes from within, comes from the heart and soul of a person.
As I have been researching Beauty from a Gospel aspect I have come across some wonderful quotes and talks on the subject and I want to share them with you because this is something that I feel is really important for women (and men) to learn about.
"Happiness is the most attractive accessory a young woman can have"
"Pray to see yourself as HE sees you"
"The world prizes body-baring 'beauty'. Hollywood markets it, advertisers exploit it, and the media promote it. The Lord however, 'seeth not as a man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.'" - 1 Sam 16:7
"The Light of the Spirit cannot be faked. All the theater lights and stages and cameras trickery and photoshop manipulation may convince the unaware... Artificial light ends with the flipping of the switch.. Christ is the Life and the Light - The Light that lightens hearts through thick and thin." - Truman G. Madsen
"You are literally a spirit daughter of heavenly parents with a divine nature and an eternal destiny. That surpassing truth should be fixed deep in your soul and be fundamental to every decision you make as you grow into mature womanhood. There could never be a greater authentication of your dignity, your worth, your privileges, and your promise. Your Father in Heaven knows your name and knows your circumstance. He hears your prayers. He knows your hopes and dreams, including your fears and frustrations. And He knows what you can become through faith in Him." - Jeffrey R. Holland
"Of all the creations of the Almighty, there is none more beautiful, none more inspiring than a lovely daughter of God who walks in virtue..., who honors and respects her body as a thing sacred and divine, who cultivates her mind..., who nurtures her spirit with everlasting truth." - Gordon B Hinckley
It has been a pleasure to think about this and to learn and grow in my own right, when it comes to thinking about true beauty. I am going to try to see myself and to see others as my Heavenly Father sees me. And I hope that anyone who is reading this will try to do the same. I am including pictures of some beautiful daughters of God that I have been lucky enough to have in my family!
I love my family very much! I know that there is not a picture of everyone up on my blog but if i put up a pic of EVERYONE, well then that would just be photos for days and days. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the pics!
7 comments:
Thank you for this post. I especially loved the line by truman madsen that said "The light of the Spirit cannot be faked" There are so many phony girls out there who are beautiful and charming on the outside, but that's it. You don't want to hang out with them or live with them. When I was in college I became friends with a girl who was absolutely gorgeous, tan, skinny, funny, charming, and the men followed her everywhere, and I wanted to be her so so so badly, but the more I got to know her the more I realized how happy I was that I WASN'T her. The poor girl was miserable. She was so unhappy and alone. She had more issues than anyone should ever have in a lifetime. That's when I learned what you are describing in this post. I'll never look perfect, but I've noticed that I look my best when I'm happiest.
p.s. I love your photos. You do a great job at catching the light in peoples eyes. I wish you were my photographer, too bad for me
you don't live out here.
Em, first, do you live in the Burbank area? That is where my dad is from. Second, great post! I have been watching the reality show True Beauty, It is kind of a corny show but has really made me think about what kind of person I am. It really doesn't matter what you look like, but what you do that defines you
What a lovely post, Emily. I haven't really been visiting blogs lately, but it was really nice to catch a glimpse of what's going on in your life and to see the wonderful things you're doing.
Emily, that was really a beautiful post. It made me cry. Thanks for your thoughts and those wonderful quotes. I really needed to read that today. You are going to do a wonderful job on your talk! You are amazing and those YW are so lucky to get to hear from you and have you as their camp director. I love you so much! The pictures are amazing. They are TRULY beautiful!!
thanks for you kinds comments! you guys are awesome!
I love the quotes - I read them before & came back to reread them. Thanks for posting!
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