“The Koine Greek word for beautiful was, hōraios, an adjective etymologically coming from the word, hōra, meaning "hour." In Koine Greek, beauty was thus associated with "being of one's hour." A ripe fruit (of its time) was considered beautiful, whereas a young woman trying to appear older or an older woman trying to appear younger would not be considered beautiful. In Attic Greek, hōraios had many meanings, including "youthful" and “ripe old age.””
What do I get from this? Don’t try to be something you’re not. Be what you are, as you are, right now. That is your beauty. Don’t worry that you aren’t perfect, or even as you’d like to be. Wouldn’t we all like to change a few things about ourselves, both internally and outwardly! But don’t wait until you’ve reached “it” to think of yourself as beautiful. Be true to what is inside of you, wherever you are on your journey. Even an unripe piece of fruit is perfect for it’s stage of development. Be authentic.
Of course, being authentically beautiful requires that what’s inside of you is beautiful!
I had a friend who wanted to save money at her wedding, so she took Styrofoam forms and frosted them gorgeously, just as she wanted her cake to look. She then served flat cake with plain icing to her guests. Great money-saver, for sure. What I want to highlight is this...adorning the outward appearance, without having any substance of character inside, is like frosting Styrofoam. It’s good to look at, but offers nothing beyond that. No nourishment or taste whatsoever. If you tried to eat it you would be sorely disappointed, even disgusted by the deception.
As women, we have a fantastic capacity and responsibility to love and nurture the people in our lives. Let’s answer the call to true beauty by being women of authenticity! No more false advertising! No more frosted Styrofoam! When someone “tastes” of my heart, I want what they see on the outside to tell truthfully of the rich, delicious substance of who I am underneath! Pursue Beauty…
Sarah
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