BEAUTY: More Than Skin Deep

Today's culture places an extremely high value on women who are thin and beautiful, while a man's worth comes from their achievements and accomplishments.  Women are generally evaluated by how they look, regardless of what they accomplish.  A woman can be very successful, but still finds her beauty (or lack of it) having more to do with her acceptance than her achievements.

Who, exactly, sets these standards of beauty?  The fashion and entertainment industries go to great lengths to tell us how smart, rich and thin we should be in order to find inner happiness.  This is, after all, where they make their millions, at our expense.  The problem is that every time we try to imitate those we look up to and join the current "trends", somebody changes the standards!  We can NEVER seem to measure up to the perfectionism continually displayed before our eyes. In the winter of 1983, People magazine featured a cover story on Karen Carpenter, and the tragic battle she fought with anorexia.  This very same issue also carried a lengthy story on a top fashion model, showing pictures of a woman 5'10" tall, weighing 110 lbs.  The photos of this model didn't look much different from those of Karen Carpenter,  who died only months later.

Many of us become conditioned from a very early age that we are to "measure up" to what we see portrayed by the media.  We are deceived into thinking these images are "normal", and so we begin to see ourselves as failures.  How many TV shows can you think of where the thin, pretty girl is the one who is unhappy, lonely, depressed, lazy and the brunt of off-color jokes while the overweight, plain-looking girl is popular, outgoing, wears the latest fashions, and always gets the guy?  NONE!  The message is clear.  Hollywood calls the shots, and many become slaves to this influence.

The Bible has a lot to say about  both inner and outer beauty.  Many women in the Bible are noted for their lovely appearance, such as Sarah, Rachel, Rebekah, Abigail, Bathsheba, and Esther.  Why do the Scriptures make a point of bringing their appearance to our attention?

God's Word teaches that a woman's appearance should be a complement to her inner spirit.  Beauty of much more than an appealing face or the nicest clothes.  Of course, it's important to take care of ourselves with good hygiene, appropriate attire and gracious manners, but these are never to be used as a measure of our self-worth.

A person's countenance is a reflection of what is in their heart.  When a woman abides in God's love, her facial features take on a special soft radiance.  Her inner peace and joy are mirrored upon her face.  Actions and attitude give a good indication of her spiritual condition.  When a woman's heart is rooted in peace and joy (Galations 5:22,23), her outward countenance radiates vitality, enthusiasm, love, and a deep sense of well-being.  That's something no amount of make-up, perfume, hair spray, clothing, or exercise can create.

True beauty comes from within and is made known by pure motives and a generous, unselfish spirit toward others.  Only Jesus can establish such a deep filling of this love, but we must yield ourselves to Him.  There is no beauty regimen that can mask an unattractive heart, unkind words, or hurtful actions.