Beauty: Revisited

Let's face it.  We care about what we look like.  We constantly worry about what brand our clothes are, whether we have bad skin or bad hair, and what people think about our appearance.  We call ourselves ugly and fat.  We complain about the size of our noses, ears, eyes, etc. etc. etc...  It's hard to find someone who is content with their appearance all the time.  I know I'm not.  I've written a post about this before, but I think it's so important for everyone to understand that they are perfectly and wonderfully made by a Creator who is incapable of making something imperfect.

Since I have no words to say that any better, I shall tap on the shoulders of a couple of my favorite authors to give me a hand.  (:

1 Peter 3: 3 Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes.4 Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight.

Matthew 6: 28 "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin.29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?

Proverbs 16: 31 Gray hair is a crown of splendor;  it is attained in the way of righteousness.

Proverbs 31: 30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;  but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.

Psalm 45: 11 Let the King be enthralled by your beauty;  honor Him, for He is your Lord.

Psalm 139: 13 For you created my inmost being;  you knit me together in my mother's womb.  14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;  your works are wonderful, I know that full well.  15 My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.  16 Your eyes saw my unformed body;  all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

Ezekiel 16: 9 "'I bathed you with water and washed the blood from you and put ointments on you.10 I clothed you with an embroidered dress and put sandals of fine leather on you. I dressed you in fine linen and covered you with costly garments.11 I adorned you with jewelry: I put bracelets on your arms and a necklace around your neck,12 and I put a ring on your nose, earrings on your ears and a beautiful crown on your head.13 So you were adorned with gold and silver; your clothes were of fine linen and costly fabric and embroidered cloth. Your food was honey, olive oil and the finest flour. You became very beautiful and rose to be a queen.14 And your fame spread among the nations on account of your beauty, because the splendor I had given you made your beauty perfect, declares the Sovereign Lord.

15 "'But you trusted in your beauty and used your fame to become a prostitute. You lavished your favors on anyone who passed by and your beauty became his.16 You took some of your garments to make gaudy high places, where you carried on your prostitution. You went to him, and he possessed your beauty.t17 You also took the fine jewelry I gave you, the jewelry made of my gold and silver, and you made for yourself male idols and engaged in prostitution with them.18 And you took your embroidered clothes to put on them, and you offered my oil and incense before them.19 Also the food I provided for you—the flour, olive oil and honey I gave you to eat—you offered as fragrant incense before them. That is what happened, declares the Sovereign Lord.  (beauty leads to sin!)

1 Timothy 2: 9 I also want the women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, adorning themselves, not with elaborate hairstyles or gold or pearls or expensive clothes,10 but with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God.

1 Samuel 16: 7 But the Lord said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."

(courtesy of YouVersion.com)

GOD THINKS YOU'RE PRETTY!!  THE CREATOR OF THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE THINKS YOU ARE PERFECT!!  Whose other opinion do you need?  Galatians 1:10 says, "Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ."



I totally recommend putting one or more of the above verses on your mirror so you can be reminded everytime you look in the mirror that you are loved and created by the Creator and Savior of the world.  I have so much stuff on my mirror that it's barely visible.  That way, there's no way I can obsess over my appearance.  Having my mirror covered in verses and other things that mean a lot to me (yes those are Disney princesses), I can be more focused on things other than myself.  It's a great way to remind me that I'm not the reason I'm here.  He is.

A couple of my friends from church have gone "on mission" in their schools and have put post-its on the bathroom mirrors saying "you're beautiful," "you look great," "you're perfect," etc..  They have heard from other students who have been positively impacted by their actions, but have remained completely anonymous.  If you feel so led, try it in your school!  It's a great way to make a difference and spread the word that we are ALL pretty in God's eyes.

You are beautiful!  And don't let anyone ever tell you differently!!

<3 Warrior