When you hear the word ‘beauty’, what involves mind?
Most people immediately consider outward traits – body shape, hair texture, facial symmetry, smile, eye color, and even clothing and its price tag. Rarely will we hear someone define beauty by inner qualities like kindness, humility, or strength of character.
But can we actually be blamed? This is the lens through which society teaches us to view beauty.
We’re living in a time where appearance is all the pieces. ‘Natural’ is seen as plain, and ‘enhanced’ is praised. Plastic is trendy. Filters are the norm. From teenagers to the elderly, everyone’s attempting to lift, fill, or fix something. The fear of aging is real. The pressure to look young, flawless, and expensive is relentless.
But what has this obsession really given us? Anxiety. Insecurity. Discontentment.
I feel it’s time to stop and ask a deeper query: what does God say about beauty?
Created by the creator of beauty
Take a moment and go searching at creation – the oceans, mountains, flowers, and the sky. Have you ever checked out any a part of nature and thought ‘that’s ugly’? Probably not.
The same God who handcrafted the fantastic thing about the world also designed you and me, with precision and purpose, long before we were born (Psalm 139:3-14; Jeremiah 1:5). In fact, Genesis 1:27 reminds us: “So God created mankind in His own image…”
This alone means we feature a beauty that transcends culture, trends, or public opinion, because we reflect the image of God. That truth should transform how we see ourselves and others.
God looks on the inner self
God’s standard of beauty is concerning the inner person – the guts, mind, and spirit.
1 Peter 3:3-4 says: “Your beauty shouldn’t come from outward adornment … Rather, it ought to be that of your inner self, the unfading fantastic thing about a delicate and quiet spirit, which is of great price in God’s sight.”
God delights in those that mirror His character. Think about it: though we’ve never seen Him with our physical eyes, yet we call Him beautiful due to His divine attributes and immense mercy and love for us.
Jesus: the proper model of divine beauty
When God revealed Himself to us in human form through His Son, Jesus Christ, how did He select to seem?
The prophet Isaiah (53:2) tells us: “He had no beauty or majesty to draw us to Him, nothing in His appearance that we must always desire Him.”
Even Jesus was neglected and rejected because He didn’t fit the world’s standards of power and wonder! Though His beauty wasn’t outward, Jesus radiated the fullness of divine beauty in its purest form – through humility, compassion, gentleness, selflessness, obedience and holiness.
To sum all of it up, Jesus’ beauty is present in His sacrificial love. And it’s His standard of beauty we’re called to pursue above all else.
He embraced birth in a manger over a mansion (Luke 2:7). He lived simply as a carpenter and closely fellowshipped with those society neglected (Mark 6:3; Luke 5:30-32). He healed the sick, fed the hungry, served His disciples and unwaveringly obeyed the Father even unto death on the cross – ultimately laying down His life in order that we would receive everlasting life (Matthew 15:30; Matthew 14:19-20; John 13:5; Philippians 2:8; John 10:11; John 3:16).
What could possibly be more beautiful than this?
A beauty that never fades
Unlike worldly beauty, which fades with age or trends, God’s divine beauty is everlasting similar to His unfailing love for us (Psalm 136:1). It grows as our hearts change into more like His.
So, while the world may pressure you to strive for physical perfection – to seem flawless in mirrors or photos – remember God is looking inside. What matters most is about how much of God’s heart – His love, truth, and charm – is visible in your life. Even the fruit of the Holy Spirit isn’t about outward appearance but inner transformation (Galatians 5:22-23).
Therefore, as an alternative, “clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony” (Colossians 3:14) and “worship the Lord in the fantastic thing about holiness” (Psalm 29:2).
Let’s redefine beauty – not by the world’s fleeting standards, but by the timeless and ideal standard of the One who made us!
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