Ugly is the Old Beautiful
Bridesmaids
In the new movie, Bridesmaids, one of the best parts is a car scene between two nemeses which goes like this:
Helen (The perfect woman who has it all, including your best friend): “What are you smiling at?”
Annie (The funny, quirky one with nothing to lose because she has already lost it all): “Nothing, it’s just that I’ve never seen you look ugly before. You’re an ugly crier.”
Commence, female bonding.
Okay, maybe that wasn’t the funniest part of the movie. Seriously, that movie will make you wet your pants. But there is something about ugly that draws us in, that makes us feel safe. It’s as if we can’t let someone into our home nor our heart, until we know they’re a little messy too. If you don’t believe me, then think about this... You know the guy who came here to make Heaven more accessible and become your best friend; ugly. That’s right, ugly. You know how it goes, “U-G-L-Y you ain’t got no alibi. Ugly, ugh ugh, yeah ugly!" All jokes aside though, one must wonder why our Savior came to us the way he is described here in Isaiah 52:14-53:3,
“Just as there were many who were appalled at him- his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any man and his form marred beyond human likeness…He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him… (NIV)”
It’s all speculation, but beyond wanting to give anyone excuses for his rising popularity from then ‘til now, I believe his ugliness identified with ours so that we could identify with him. Underneath all the hairspray and makeup, or sunglasses and cologne, we are all begrudgingly aware of the parts of ourselves we choose not to let anyone else see, for fear they will despise our ugliness as much as we do. But when someone is willing to not only own their own stuff, but let down the “first class curtain” for all to see, a funny thing happens. We connect. We trust. We grow.
Jesus didn’t have to become human, he chose to. He chose to live in His weakness rather than above ours. What is more beautiful than that?
