Defining Beauty
How do you define the word beauty?
If you asked society and high fashion magazines what a beautiful woman looks like to them, they would probably mention or show you a flawless-looking image of a tall, skinny, model with perfect skin. Maybe that’s how you define beauty, too.
Flawless. Perfect.
That’s a lot of pressure.
We all have different ways of defining what is (or even who is) beautiful or not. We all have eyes but we all see things very differently.
How is beauty defined through God’s eyes?
The Bible says a lot about what God deems as beautiful.
“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 3:4
Let’s dwell on that a minute. The imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit. Our bodies are perishable. Our bodies will age and eventually die. Despite the best facial products, our faces will sag and become wrinkled. Our heads will eventually be covered with grey hairs. Our bodies will change and, over time, will not look the same on the outside.
Imperishable beauty is what is on the inside. The inside is what matters to God. The good fruit we sow into our lives and hearts is what will last all the way to our death. In Heaven, scripture says we will get new bodies, but our souls are what will remain.
So, why do we focus so much on outward appearance?
In Psalm 139:14 it says that we are “fearfully and wonderfully made” and Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus.”
We are fearfully and wonderfully made by the Creator of the Universe and He calls us is workmanship. Yet, we still doubt our outward beauty.
Do we look at the deep blue ocean and deem it not beautiful? Do we look at the setting sun coloring the sky in oranges and pinks and call it ugly? No, we marvel at it and we know its worth. In the same way, we should look at ourselves and realize that the same God who created the ocean waves and the setting sun also created us. Therefore, we are just as beautiful.
What God says about us and about beauty is far more important than what society or high fashion magazines say.
No matter our height, shape, size, complexion, or imperfections, we are ALL beautiful. God created us and we are ALL overflowing with beauty. It’s time to stop putting so much of our focus on outward beauty. God already took care of that when He so intricately and wonderfully designed us.
Let’s shift our focus to our inside beauty. The imperishable beauty.
God tells us in His word what it looks like. He treasures a gentle and quiet spirit over the perfect smoky-eye or tanned skin.
“Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.” -Proverbs 31:30
We should focus on living our lives for the Lord and being more like Jesus. The fruits of the Spirit and the things of Heaven are what we should dwell on and apply to our lives to get true and lasting beauty.
Now, how do you define the word beauty?
Share Your Thoughts
Leave us a comment and tell us about someone you see as beautiful and why.
How do you combat society’s view of beauty when you are tempted to feel despair over your imperfections?
What are some practical things you could do to shift your perspective or view of beauty to align with God would judge as true beauty?