Are you beautiful?
When you think about this question, perhaps you answer something like, "Yes, on the inside I am beautiful. I have a warm and loving heart. I have a giving spirit. I have a lot of beautiful personality qualities." We are usually comfortable talking about inner beauty.
1 Peter 3:3-4 Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, 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.
What about outward beauty? We are all aware of the false messages we find in the media, of what is considered outwardly beautiful in society. When we see the faces and figures of top models and actresses in print, they likely have been photo-shopped and changed so much that what we actually see is far from reality. We know that for most women this "look" is unattainable in real life. But just because we can't live up to this image, does that mean we are not outwardly beautiful?
Sometimes part of our poor self-image is due to messages we received early in life, possibly even from family or friends. They may have been spoken words that were thoughtless, or unspoken jabs in how they looked at us or treated us. We begin to believe these messages and internalize them, and even repeat them to ourselves. Many of us are uncomfortable describing ourselves as beautiful on the outside. We see our flaws much more readily than our assets when it comes to our looks. This is a lie told to us by Satan, that we somehow are not beautiful. But God has a different opinion:
Psalm 45:11 The king is enthralled by your beauty; honor him, for he is your lord.
But do we think of this only in terms of what we apply to our bodies? Do we only feel somewhat beautiful on the outside if we have on our makeup, fix up our hair, put on pretty clothes, wear gorgeous jewelry, do our nails, etc.? How many of us could stand in front of a mirror totally naked and believe that our bodies are beautiful? But to God we ARE! He sees us as beautiful even when we are bare; He makes us beautiful.
Ezekiel 16:7, 13b-14 I made you grow like a plant of the field. You grew up and developed and became the most beautiful of jewels. Your breasts were formed and your hair grew, you who were naked and bare... You became very beautiful and rose to be a queen. 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.
Many things hit home with me while I was at the retreat last weekend. God, in his amazing timing, sent this song over the radio as I drove home from that retreat - so fitting, and with it I close this writing with prayers that we all appreciate our full beauty:
"Beautiful" lyrics
by Mercy Me
The days will come when you don't have the strength
When all you hear is you're not worth anything
Wondering if you ever could be loved
And if they truly saw your heart they'd see too much
You're beautiful... You're beautiful
You are made so much more than all of this
You're beautiful... You're beautiful
You are treasured, You are sacred, You are His
You're beautiful.
And praying that you have the heart to find
'Cause you are more than what is hurting you tonight
For all the lies you've held inside so long
And they are nothing in the shadow of the cross
You're beautiful... You're beautiful
You are made so much more than all of this
You're beautiful... You're beautiful
You are treasured, You are sacred, You are His
You're beautiful.
Before you ever took a breath
Long before the world began
Of all the wonders He possessed
There was one more precious
Of all the earth and skys above
You're the one He madly loves
Enough to death
You're beautiful... You're beautiful
You are made so much more than all of this
You're beautiful... You're beautiful
You are treasured, You are sacred, You are His
You're beautiful.
You ARE beautiful... inside and out !!!
Written by Jan A
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