Two weeks ago, I wrote about the first part of this quote. The post also featured an interview with one of my favorite bloggers! Last week was all about the second part, and Jenna from A Beautiful Heart shared with us. Now, let's look at the final part of the quote, “... and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone.” (There will be another interview at the end of this post as well!) Poise is defined as “a state of balance”, “a dignified, self-confident manner or bearing; composure”, “steadiness; stability”. God's Word promises we are never alone, and poise is gained by living in that promise.
 When we are in relationship with Jesus, we never walk through life alone. By His Spirit, Christ is always with us. Knowing this gives us security, peace and endurance. We can face each day, even the hard days, with confidence and composure. Fear will not cause us to waver, anger will not cause us to lose control, mistakes will not cause us to quit. And Jesus is not the only one with us. He has placed other people in our lives; other people who are also experiencing joys and sorrows, love and pain; other people who have hopes and dreams, and fears and failures. There are those who have “been there, done that”. Usually these people are older, and because of their experience, they can give wisdom and counsel to us. We should seek this wisdom and allow the more mature to mentor us. Proverbs 19:20 tells us, “Listen to advice and accept instruction, and in the end you will be wise.” There are also those going through similar life situations as you. It can be encouraging to walk through life together, helping and praying for one another. Romans 12:15 says, “Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.” Galatians 6:2 tells us we are to “carry each others burdens.” This goes beyond a quick “Hi, how are you?” It is intentionally being a friend, sharing in joys and being support in hard times. As Philippians 2:4 says, “Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.” And then there are people dealing with circumstances you have already experienced. Now, it's your turn to pass on wisdom. Share advice, share encouragement, “proclaim what the Lord has done.” (Psalm 118:17) Knowing that we are never alone is encouraging, it gives us confidence, but it also comes with the responsibility to be there for others; to not leave them alone. When we walk in this promise and responsibility, that is having true poise. Our last interview is with Alison D., my aunt! She has been a mentor and friend to me my whole life. Since she is an expert when it comes to beauty care, I thought she would be the perfect person to interview!
Jessica - What is your age and profession? Alison - I am a 33-year-old skin therapist (esthetician). Jessica - Why did you decide to get into beauty care? Alison - I started off as a makeup artist. I didn't plan to get into the industry at all but I kept having girls ask me to do their makeup. Before I knew it I was doing proms, special events, weddings, etc. I loved that moment when I'd finish a makeup application and the woman would look in the mirror and say "Oh, I look so beautiful!" I could see the insecurities and stresses melt away. Yet, I felt that this just wasn't enough. That's when I decided to go into skin care. I want a woman to look at her own face, her own skin, in mirror and believe that she is beautiful. Jessica - Name three facts about yourself. Alison - Three facts, huh? Well..... I love crime stories, in books and on TV. I'm a "south paw", which is what my fiance called left-handed people (you too!). And, of course, I just got engaged to the love of my life, after not dating for 12 years. Proof that good things really do come to those who wait. Jessica - Do you have a favorite Audrey Hepburn movie? Alison - Audrey Hepburn is stunning! I love her in Roman Holiday. I also love her quirkiness in Breakfast at Tiffany's even though I'm not a huge fan of the movie itself. Jessica - This Audrey quote really talks about having beauty from the inside out. What advice would you give to young women about having inner beauty? Alison - I have encountered a tragically high number of women who are absolutely beautiful but don't feel comfortable in their own skin. They put themselves down and some even cringe when you complement them. Society has been telling us women since the moments of our births that we must look, walk, laugh, dress, live a certain way to be beautiful. And most of that beauty equation is superficial, about appearance rather than existence. Be skinny, Be tall, Be graceful. Be wealthy. Proportionate. Smooth. Young. Energetic. Be Perfect. If I held to society's standards of beauty I would know very few beautiful women. And yet I know MANY. My mother is a truly beautiful woman. She is not young, wealthy, tall, or particularly skinny. But she has qualities that transcend everyday "beauty" to something genuinely breathtaking. And I think we ALL know women like that. The key is to let go of the commercialized, homogenized, impossible version of "beauty" and to look for examples of real beauty around you. I believe that once you begin to see real beauty in others, allowing them grace in their faults and wrinkles and imperfections, you can begin to see real beauty in yourself as well. Tell yourself you are beautiful and allow others to tell you as well. Beauty is NOT only skin deep. And I'm a skin expert. I should know. Jessica - What advice would you give to young women about seeing their physical appearance as beautiful? Alison - My advice would be to stop the negative self-talk. That talk you do when you look at yourself in the mirror and say things like "Ugh, look at those wrinkles," or "I'm so gross, look at all that fat". Stop the "if onlys". "If only I were taller. If only my feet weren't so big. If only I were thinner. Fatter. Shorter. Had bigger boobs. Smaller boobs. Better teeth." Just stop doing that! What earthly good does the negative self-talk do? None. We all see our own flaws and that's a good thing. But we don't need to beat ourselves up over them. Instead, learn to look at yourself and say "My eyes look good today". "My husband loves this dress on my." "I like the way I look in these jeans." Look, actively look, for the beauty in yourself. Jessica - Of the three parts to the quote, which one speaks the most to you and why? Alison "For beautiful lips..." We hear so much unkindness. From others and from ourselves. One kind word from you may change someone else's entire day. Be the encourager and you'll be encouraged as well. Jessica - If you were to add another “For beautiful...” phrase to this quote, what would it be? Alison - For beautiful hands, be the one who extends the hand of grace to another. Jessica - If you could only give one make-up tip to young women, what would it be? Alison - My one make-up tip to young women would be "Less IS More". Young women tend to wear too much makeup, especially eye makeup. Ease up on the black liner, for heaven's sake! Thank you so much for sharing, aunt Alison! Now, let's take these beauty tips and apply them; let's look with the eyes of God, speak words of love, and live with true poise. I'm curious, if YOU were to add another “For beautiful...” phrase to this quote, what would it be?  The post Beauty Tips From Audrey: Poise first appeared on The Overflowing
Photos of Alison c/o Alison D. All Scriptures taken from the NIV
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
