Psalm 139:13-14, “You made my whole being; you formed me in my mother’s body. I praise you because you made me in an amazing and wonderful way. What you have done is wonderful. I know this very well.”
Usually, this is a question that no man wants to hear from the woman they love mostly because there is no right answer to this.
It’s amazing how many people have become so wrapped up in the idea of outward beauty that we worry more about what we’re wearing or how we look than we worry about what our character looks like or shows about who we are or who God is.
What we look like, in this or that. Do we have blemishes, or are we ugly? Our nose is too big or too small. Our ears don’t match. We were born with the wrong color of hair. We’re too fat or too skinny. As the human species, the idea of beauty and whether we fit the “mold” can be a battle we all face.
It’s interesting that we are the only species that put so much into our “beauty.” Have you ever seen an animal and said, “Oh, that’s a face only a mother could love?” Have you ever heard any animals say, “Does my fur make my butt look fat? Or I was born missing part of my jaw or an eye; the other animals won’t like me.”
Of course, animals don’t talk, so they don’t say that, but there is something we can learn from the most beautiful animals to the ‘only a face a mother can love’ animals.
They don’t care about beauty. They accept and love openly and fully. They don’t know the difference between beautiful and ugly, and they are not conceited like we humans are.
Look more closely at today’s verse. God created us. He carefully put us together in the womb. We are created perfectly as God wants us to be. We were wonderfully made. Whether a big nose or little nose, big or small, clear complexion or blemishes, God made each of us as He wanted us to be. He has a purpose for each of us.
There are so many worldly ideas about what’s beautiful and what’s not that we get caught up in our ‘ugly’ struggles. This leads to insecurities, low self-esteem, and negativity about who we are. This is when we lose sight of the truth: we were created not only by God but in His image. As Christians, we need to regain God’s perspective on beauty and see ourselves as God sees us.
The beauty that God sees is not what the world tells us we should look like; it’s our inner beauty, our heart, and our soul. It’s a beauty that worships without ceasing and seeks the King. It’s a beauty that shows the adoration of our Savior, even in doubt and fear. It’s a beauty that lives to be more Christlike in our words and actions. It’s a beauty that watches the sunset in awe of God’s amazing creation while others pass on by – 1 Peter 3:3-4.
This world will make you think your beauty is in your looks, how you dress, and your success. The Lord tells us all our outward appearances will fade and eventually die, but our spirit will not change. It is what we take to the grave when we die and what the Lord will restore to us when He comes again and makes us perfect and holy- Proverbs 31:10.
I am not saying our inner beauty trumps our physical health. Our bodies are the temple of God, and we should do what we can to take care of them. I am saying our love for God should trump our love of self and man’s opinion.
If you feel pretty or like what you wear, that is what matters. When you accept God’s words, “Everything about you is beautiful and there is nothing at all wrong with you.”- Song of Solomon 4:7, The world’s idea of ‘beautiful’ should not matter. Living your life to serve God and be a light of Him to this world is what our focus should be.
Guard your focus being pulled to hollow, earthly opinions or the ‘trends’ of the time. “Now you who are not Jewish are not foreigners or strangers any longer but are citizens together with God’s holy people. You belong to God’s family. You are like a building that was built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets. Christ Jesus himself is the most important stone in that building, and that whole building is joined together in Christ. He makes it grow and become a holy temple in the Lord. And in Christ, you, too, are being built together with the Jews into a place where God lives through the Spirit.”- Ephesians 2:19-22.
Whenever you feel unloved, unimportant, or insecure, remember to whom you belong. You are fearfully and wonderfully made. You are redeemed, radiant, and ravishing. You aren’t beautiful because of what the world says. You are beautiful because you are His. Hope isn’t just in Jesus; hope is Jesus.
This is an updated edition of a post originally published on ConnectWithGodDaily
Featured Image by i yunmai on Unsplash
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