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Beauty is as beauty does

8/20/2021

2 Comments

 
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If you’re of a certain age, you’ll remember well the Mickey Mouse Club song “Beauty Is as Beauty Does.” Here, for those who don’t know it, is Mouseketeer Doreen singing it with Jimmie Dodd accompanying her. (Reading this via email? You may have to click on the title above to see the video clip.)
I thought of this song recently, having come across some old snapshots of a drop-dead gorgeous 96-year-old friend. And once again, I was surprised to note that this woman had not been especially pretty when she was young—that she was, in fact, a little homely. Yet somehow this Plain Jane managed to become a great beauty in her old age.
 
Interestingly, she’s far from alone in this. It’s a phenomenon I’ve observed a number of times over the last two decades.
 
Is there a common denominator? Have they all put on or lost weight? Have they donned appealingly modern duds or hairstyles? Could the secret be some little-known moisturizer or centuries-old beauty routine?
 
Apparently not.
 
But it won’t surprise some of you to learn that all these beauties have been born-again Christians.
 
Surely some were genuine Christians in their younger days, yet their early photos don’t seem to reflect that essential trait. I guess cameras can’t capture the essence of any sort of life, any more than scientists can explain it.
 
Yet God Himself has indwelt each of these women. And perhaps to know one of them, to spend time with her, is to feel His love overflowing from her earthly body. Perhaps to speak with her is, in some supernatural way, to see His presence in her, to get a glimpse of her Creator, living and vital and beckoning all to embrace Him as this woman has. And maybe that’s why they are, in person, so incredibly beautiful even in great old age.
 
We’ve been taught since childhood that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Maybe that’s true, for anyone who has eyes to see. And maybe Mouseketeer Doreen is right, too. Like all of us, these women are far from perfect as long as they dwell in this fallen world; they have been redeemed by the blood of Christ, not by good deeds. But as committed Christians, they have all done their best to emulate their Savior. And what could be more beautiful than that?

If you'd like to join them, here's a good place to start. 
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Blessed are those with dementia?

8/6/2021

1 Comment

 
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For some reason, during a recent sleepless night, I couldn't stop thinking about all the dementia "sufferers" I've known as a 21-year nursing-home volunteer. I put "sufferers" in quotes, because many of them have been perfectly peaceful, enjoying the moment while contentedly forgetting more and more of their pasts, until they're left with nothing but memories of childhood.

And indeed these dear people become like little children--often, delightful little children. It's really precious to have a sweet little old lady tell you excitedly that mamma would be there soon to pick her up, or to have a kind old man inform you that he will be singing in the children's choir at church on Sunday.  

My mind raced happily on, tumbling over dozens of such smile-worthy flashbacks. And then it occurred to me: These people had lost most of their memories to dementia. But what are we in this life, if not the sum total of our memories? Does this mean that dementia patients have lost their very identities? 

But of course, that wouldn't be the case for those who are Christian, would it? Because Christians do have identities--indestructible, eternal identities in Christ. What's more, like little children, these dementia patients have nothing to bring to the salvation table, no thoughts of being good people deserving of anything, least of all heaven. 

There was that thought again: like little children. And what did Jesus say in Matthew 18? "He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. And he said: 'Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.'"

So perhaps Christian dementia patients are most blessed of all--doing nothing but trusting and enjoying the moment in this life, and then heading into eternity with hearts that are uniquely pleasing to the Lord. And perhaps that means they will be counted among Jesus' most beloved forevermore. 

I've thought for a long time that our pitying view of sweet and happy dementia patients is all wrong. Maybe this explains it.
1 Comment

    Kitty
    Foth-Regner

    I'm a follower of Jesus Christ, a freelance copywriter, a nursing-home volunteer, and the author of books both in-process and published -- including
    Heaven Without Her.

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