I was taken aback recently by a YouTube video that has become quite popular. If you haven't seen it, you must! It is Britain's own, Susan Boyle. She auditioned for the show Britain's Got Talent, an American Idol type of talent competition. What is so wonderful about Susan? Well, she is completely unexpected! She looks nothing like a star. She is completely ordinary,and a ripe old 47! Dressed modestly, she looks like she could be a school teacher. Her looks are plain, and some may even say she is homely. She's even unemployed! Susan made outlandish claims about herself, and what it was she was there to do. Her intent was to be a star, and she admitted it on television. The crowd roared when she stepped forward. Shy, yet confident. Hopeful, yet horrified. She answered even Simon Cowell's questions with sureness. Who did this woman think she was? How dare she step forward and present herself as one to be taken seriously! Then, after the ridicule, cue the music. Out of her mouth came the sweetest sound! It was completely unexpected, and absolutely beautiful!
Watching the video brought me to tears, and caused me to wonder what it was about this woman that stirred the hearts of so many people. Then a scripture from Isaiah 53 popped in my mind. A truth that went down deep, and reminded me of the beauty of my Savior. Isaiah says, "He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to Him, nothing in His appearance that we should desire Him." I think we often forget that the Lord was not physically "beautiful". There was nothing about his appearance that would have caused us to take a second look. There are many portraits of Christ, most of them portray him as pleasing to look at. After all, who wants a portrait of an ugly savior hanging on the living room wall? But Isaiah's description isn't so appealing. He was God with us. He made claims about himself that even his own family didn't believe! He was completely unexpected! He was spectacular wrapped in plain and ordinary, and a lot of people didn't perceive him.
Susan Boyle brought me to tears because she reminded me what true beauty is. She reminded me that God did and still does, the unexpected.
Link to Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxPZh4AnWyk
