You cannot see beauty and joy in yourself unless you take time and find the solitude to listen to the Divine Whisper within you that tells you continually to be joyful because you are are beautiful, you are loved. You are a child of God.
"The real work of prayer is to become silent and listen to the voice that says good things about me. To gently push aside the many voices that question my goodness and to trust that I will hear the voice of blessing - that demands real effort." (Henri J.M. Nouwen)
Do not listen to the world because the world puts conditions on being lovable, beautiful, joyful, good, worthwhile.
The world says "You are nothing unless you own a house."
The world says "You cannot be joyful unless you can spend X amount of dollars on each child for Christmas."
The world says "You cannot be beautiful unless you receive the X brand of jewelry or the X brand of car for Christmas."
The world says "You cannot be loved unless you are perfect and have no physical or mental flaws."
The world says "You are not loved unless someone spends X amount of dollars on you for Christmas."
The world says "You are not loved unless you have X amount of Facebook Friends and can Twitter all day."
The world says "You cannot be considered good unless you do not sin."
The world says "You cannot be joyful if you have a broken heart."
God says none of these things. God's heart is an Abyss of Mercy.
God whispers to you
"Come as you are.
" Come in the nakedness of your vulnerability, pain, sinfulness, and self- doubt.
"You don't have to hide anything from Me.
"I love everything about you.
"Be free. Be joyful. Only My estimate of you, My unfailing love for you, matters."
"Trust in Me to give you growth, as the wildflower trusts the sun and the rain and the rich soil. I am the Light of the World. I am Living Water. I am the Ground of your being."
The only joy that is real is the joy that wells up deep inside us, the joy that tells us that all of us - and all creation - are eternal and eternally loved. No passing thing can give us joy.
The only beauty that is real is the inward beauty of a soul that knows itself loved, so it can love everyone, knows itself beautiful so that it sees beauty everywhere. No outward societal ideal of beauty can make us beautiful.
The only love that is real is God's love for us which we channel to others and others channel to us. This love accepts all, forgives all, as we are accepted and forgiven by the ever-merciful heart of God.
This is the true Joy, Beauty, and Love that we celebrate at Christmas:
"Beloved, let us love one another because love is of God; everyone who loves is begotten of God and knows God. Whoever is without love does not know God, for God is Love. In this way the love of God was revealed to us: God sent His only Son into the world so that we might have life through him. In this is love: not that we have loved God, but that He has loved us and sent His Son as expiation for our sins. Beloved, if God has so loved us, we must also love one another." (1 John 4: 7-11.)