THE DEFINITION OF BEAUTY

"For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." - Ephesians 2:10

Recently, I was in the car listening to the radio (as always). A woman started speaking about how the women of Team USA had a motto that says, "Strong is the new skinny." She also thanked these women for giving the world a new definition of beauty. It seems harmless, right?

Wrong. Saying this such as "the new beautiful", "the new skinny", etc. just gives girls yet another standard that they feel they have to meet to be beautiful. If you are one of the girls constantly striving to meet the qualifications of the standard "beautiful girl", listen up.

There is no standard of beauty.

Every person on this planet, boy or girl, tall or short, lanky or stocky, is different. They all have quirks and things they consider flaws.

beauty \ˈbyü-tē\ (noun): the quality of being physically attractive

Merriam-Webster

Also, every person on this planet has their different image of what they consider to be beautiful. Above is what the editor of Merriam-Webster thinks beauty is. Different people from different countries have different standards of "beautiful". This article on Business Insider shows "How 19 Different Countries Define Beauty".

There are so many different standards, qualities, and qualifications that influence us in today's world. Society and social media pressures us to look a certain way to be considered attractive. This is so, so wrong.

Despite all of this, Christ gives us qualities in His word of internal and spiritual beauty - the only types of beauty that really matter in the long run.

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.' ”

1 Peter 3:3-4 - "Your beauty 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."

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

Beauty isn't makeup or fancy clothes or perfect eyebrows or long eyelashes. Beauty is love, compassion, kindness, humbleness, forgiveness, and so much more. Beauty is being happy in God's will and trusting Christ and being eager to please Him.

My challenge for you is this: don't let what the world says or thinks about beauty affect you or the way you live your life. You weren't created to be physically attractive to others; you were created to give glory to God.

Image Source: https://unsplash.com/collections/167117/unsplash-flower-collection?photo=B1Zyw7sdm5w

#beauty