Daily Delight
“For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others; for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness; and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone.” - Audrey Hepburn
I loved Audrey Hepburn growing up. This quote of hers pops up time and again, always reminding me of the importance of kindness. As I was reading Matthew 11 this past weekend, I was struck with a fresh take on Jesus and John the Baptist that perfectly illustrated Audrey’s words.
In Matthew 11:1-19, John the Baptist, who is imprisoned, sends his disciples to ask whether or not Jesus is the Messiah. Upon hearing this question, Jesus tells the disciples to report what they see: the blind have sight, lepers are cured and the deaf hear. As John’s disciples were leaving, Jesus began talking about John to the crowds. He says, “I tell you the truth, of all who have ever lived, none is greater than John the Baptist…And from the time John the Baptist began preaching until now, the Kingdom of Heaven has been forcefully advancing” (Matthew 11:11-12, NLT). Jesus is paying John some seriously high compliments here!There are two major points I took away from this:God was serious when He said bless those who curse you (Matthew 5:44). Jesus exemplifies that here. John the Baptist doubted Jesus and had his disciples question Jesus’ identity publicly. If that had been me, I would have been humiliated and defensive. Instead, Jesus kindly responds to the disciples and proceeds to speak highly of John to the crowd. By Audrey’s standards, Jesus has beautiful eyes and lips.Jesus could do this because He was firmly rooted in His identity as the Son of God. He had nothing to fear or lose when John’s disciples questioned Him. Therefore, He could walk with poise, knowing He was not alone.May we resemble Jesus, with beautiful eyes and lips, seeing the good in others and calling it out. May we walk with poise and confidence, knowing that our identity as children of God can never be shaken or taken away.
