“Mirror, Mirror on the wall, who is the fairest one of all?” That’s the question the evil queen asks herself each day in the tale of Snow White. It seems far fetched to think that you or I daily regard the extent of our beauty within the reflection of a mirror, but I daresay that we are probably far more consumed with our appearance than we let on.
Our society has deemed it’s version of beauty to reign at the top of it’s priority list. Women, men, & even children become obsessed with the way that they look. In this day & age people go to whatever extremes necessary to achieve the image that they desire. The problem is that our culture’s picture of beauty is far beyond the mere mortal’s ability to reach, at least in a psychologically, emotionally, & physically healthy way. The pursuit of this vain goal also creates a snowball effect…the enhancement or improvement upon one feature always results in attention drawn to another unsatisfactory quality. There is always some trait that can be tweaked, modified, or molded into a more appealing form.
We expect this type of behavior for those bent on pursuing the World’s goals, but the great tragedy is that we Christian women often find ourselves hung up on these pagan ideas of beauty. To be “in style” we compromise our modesty & financial welfare. With make-up we can become so exotic that we are nearly unrecognizable to those who love our features just as God designed them. To crudely mold our bodies into the size deemed desirable eating disorders, bad habits (such as diet pills or extreme exercising) do the trick. To be truly beautiful one must be rail thin, but yet maintain the curves that men desire & so enhancements or reductions through surgery yield the results desired. The compulsion to continuously strive for a non-attainable form of beauty is an epidemic in our culture, & it renders the results Satan intended. Our eyes cannot focus on two things at one time, & if our efforts are towards developing outer beauty then they are not on cultivating the loveliness within.
Sisters, there is beauty that you should be devoted to pursuing. All brides want to be gorgeous for their grooms. It is natural & normal to want that, but He could care less whether you wear a size 2 in brand name clothing, or if you now have blonde hair when you were born with brown. Jesus doesn’t care if you wear MACK makeup to hide the imperfections you see in the mirror. Your groom does care when the desire to meet the world’s standard diminishes the attention that you have for Him.
-Luke 12:22,26-27 “Don’t fuss about….if the clothes in your closet are in fashion. There is far more to your inner life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body.”
“Walk into the fields & look at the wild flowers. They don’t fuss with their appearance- but have you ever seen color & design quite like it? The ten best dressed men & women in the country look shabby alongside them.”
If we return back to the notion of fairytales, you’ll note that in all of the stories the princesses have a couple of things in common. 1. They are beautiful outwardly. 2. They are inwardly lovely. Each is good, kind, selfless, positive-thinking, giving, & etc. What makes the princess in fairytales so desirable & so appealing is her inner beauty. It radiates outwardly & creates an outer shell that’s easy on the eye. You might also notice that in each of these whimsical stories the villain is in full pursuit of worldly goals be it beauty, power, or whatever…she never achieves her desired goal. The princess, who is unaware of her allure, is always rewarded for her goodness. These tales may be the stuff of legend, but there is moral truth within the plot.
-Proverbs 31:30 “Charm can mislead & beauty soon fades, but the woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.”
-1 Peter 3:3-4 “ What matters is not your outer appearance-the styling of your hair, the jewelry you wear, the cut of your clothes but your inner disposition. Cultivate inner beauty the gentle, gracious, kind that God delights in.”
-1Timothy 2:9-10 “I want women to get in there in humility before God, not primping before a mirror or chasing the latest fashions, but doing something beautiful for God & becoming beautiful doing it.”
God makes no bones about where He stands on the issue of women being consumed with the pursuit of outer beauty, but do not think that this means He doesn’t want you to look or feel lovely. Physical beauty manifests itself through spiritual loveliness. Countless women in our church come to mind. You can look anywhere within the seats of our congregation & set your eyes upon a woman who is lovely in appearance, & it is obvious that each also radiates a beauty from within. I don’t believe there is anything wrong with taking care of yourself & feeling pretty. It is fun to wear cute clothes, to do our hair & makeup. Each of us needs to feel good about the image we present to the world, but do so in a manner befitting your moral compass. If an outfit, style, or trend is immodest…set a new trend of your own. Ask yourself, “What would Maury think if he saw me in this outfit?”, if you’re unsure. Natural makeup that enhances, not alters the beautiful face God sculpted just for you is appropriate (to me, perhaps not to your parents or others). Maintaining a healthy body is important & good, but don’t get caught up in sizes or numbers.
- Proverbs 31:22 “She dresses in colorful linens & silks.”
We each should strive to be a Proverbs 31 woman, & the woman described in that scripture wears colorful clothes & even silk…so I think it’s safe to say that God understands a woman’s need to feel lovely. He also knows that if you are ugly on the inside no amount of work outwardly will create an appealing appearance. From personal experience I can also say that beyond your spiritual Groom, your earthly one will also one day see the loveliness within you. As my husband & I began courting I tried desperately to make him think I was beautiful. He did not see me without makeup, my hair done, or in a cute outfit. He would always make a polite comment, but it fell short of my hopes. One day I was running late so I threw my hair in a ponytail, put on a sweat suit & tennis shoes & out the door I went. I worried the whole way about what he would think to see me in such a state. My prince charming swept me off my feet that day. He overflowed with compliments about how lovely I was to him. Your beau, if he is a good & godly man, will see you for who you are without all the hoopla.
As I close I want to remind you of the 3 areas to be wary of: Modesty, Body Image, & Inner Beauty. You are a splendid work of art created by a Master craftsman; see yourself as He sees you. I have had hardships in each of the 3 mentioned areas, so if you struggle with any or all of these & would like to discuss them or share with me more in depth please feel free to write to me.
*The scriptures are written in the format of the Message Bible
Be Blessed,
B ri
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