So God created man in his own image, in the image of God, he created him; male and female he created them (Genesis 1:27 ESV).
I studied myself in the mirror. Age has a way of humbling us, making us more aware of our finite bodies. Confession time—I’ve been called Miss Priss. Looks are important to me, from health and nutrition to what I wear and how I wear it. My mother told me to always look my best for the Master, and I never forgot those instructions. I believe it. I practice it.
Our Father wants us to be healthy and take care of our temples. But where does being a good steward of what God has given us shift the scales to vanity, worldly, and vainglory? How does God establish beauty?
Have you ever gotten up in the morning and looked in the mirror? Messy hair. Pillow indentions on your face. Maybe coon eyes from yesterday’s makeup. Breath’s not so good, either. Did you cringe and ask yourself, “Does God believe I’m beautiful just the way I am?”
The world advocates a definition of beauty that focuses on our physical bodies: smooth skin, youthful, perfectly styled hair, runway body shape, artistically applied makeup and don’t get me started on clothes, including the brands. There’s no room in the world’s view of beauty that includes God’s perspective. The world’s view of beauty is all about the physical, but God measures beauty according to our heart (1st Samuel 16:7 ESV).
We are all made in the image of God. Fashioned. Beautiful as God is beautiful. This means when someone criticizes or condemns us, that person is saying God created someone without value. And that is a lie.
You are altogether beautiful, my love; there is no flaw in you (Solomon 4:7 ESV).
Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— 4 but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious (1 Peter 3:3-4).
How do we discover God’s interpretation of beauty?
Hint: God thinks so much of you that He carries a photo of you in His wallet.
Bonus hint: Grant grants beauty to those who love Him. Simple, God’s math.
As believers in Jesus Christ, when God sees us, He sees Jesus. And that’s true beauty. Spending thousands of dollars to reach the world’s status of loveliness accomplishes nothing in God’s eyes.
What He does say:
Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised (Proverbs 31:30 ESV).
"She opens her hand to the poor and reaches out her hands to the needy. She is not afraid of snow for her household, for all her household are clothed in scarlet" (Proverbs 31:20-21).
Beauty to God is a heart totally devoted to Him.
Embrace your beauty, friends. You are more than a tube of lipstick. Beauty begins in the heart. True beauty comes from within and radiates to all those who not only see but hear and feel us.
Prayer:
Today, Lord, help me to block out what others dictate as beauty. You are all I need. Let me feel Your love clothing me in righteousness. You love me, the Creator of the universe. That makes me beautiful in your eyes. Thank You, Lord, for your gift of everlasting beauty. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Your Turn:
Close your eyes and see yourself as a true daughter of the King, an exceptional beauty. Read Psalm 139. Insert your name for “I” throughout. Say aloud: I am beautiful. Thank You, God, that I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
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