True Beauty is an Inside Job!!

“Pretty woman, walkin' down the street
Pretty woman the kind I like to meet
Pretty woman I don't believe you, you're not the truth
No one could look as good as you…” Roy Orbinson

  Last month entertainment media was all abuzz when Julia Roberts was named the “world’s most beautiful woman” by People magazine…again. It was the fifth time that Julia Roberts has received this honor and is a record breaker. She was first named “Most Beautiful” 26 years ago, around the time of the release of Pretty Woman.

  “World’s most beautiful woman,” really? Huge percentages of the world have never heard of Julia Roberts. I’d surmise that in Asia or Africa, Julia Roberts might not be considered beautiful by what those cultures deem beautiful. In fact, a Caucasian might even be considered repugnant in some cultures. At the very least, an oddity…certainly not the standard of beauty.

  A secular world is enamored with physical beauty. Yet, we in the Church are foolish if we adopt their value system. Physical attraction has little to do with true beauty. In fact, some of those who have true beauty, inner beauty, are considered repulsive by a pagan world. The prophet, Isaiah, said of Jesus, “He had no form or majesty that we should look at Him, and no beauty that we should desire Him” (Isaiah 53:2). Experience has taught us that some who are considered to be the “beautiful people” are downright ugly in their behavior and values. 

  Many a young woman has struggled with poor self-image and depression because she doesn’t measure up to a shallow world’s standard of beauty. Please understand, I’m not suggesting that we should encourage dowdiness or unkemptness. Yet, as Bible-believers we must measure beauty as God does. That begins with realizing that even physical design is God-given.

  Just as Adam and Eve were designed by the Master Creator, so is every person in this world. In Psalms 148:14 King David wrote, “I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.” In other words, God determines eye color, height, nose size, intellect, etc. Like a snowflake, every person is unique. No two are the same. God sees each person as His masterpiece. That’s so freeing!

  There are no mistakes with the Master Designer. Each part of our make-up is planned and designed by a loving God. That means, too, that there’s no place for either pride or envy. We are the designees, not the Designer. And just as despising or ridiculing the Mona Lisa is to despise and ridicule Leonardo da Vinci, to despise or ridicule an image-bearer of God is to despise and ridicule the Artist, God (James 3:9-10).

  Most of us can make few changes about our physical appearance. Yet, God has given us a stewardship to develop that which brings true beauty – character. Relationally, we all inherently know that character has lasting value while physical beauty does not. Answer these questions for yourself:

  Would you rather have a beautiful yet inept cardiologist, or someone judged plain by the world’s fickle standards, yet gifted in her field? Would you rather buy a car from someone unattractive yet honest, or a “knock-out” who is a pathological liar? Would you rather be married to someone who is “average” yet loving and kind, or a beauty queen who is vain, cruel and demeaning?

  Is it any wonder that Solomon who was an expert on both beauty and women wrote: “Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised” (Proverbs 31:30). So what does all of this mean for us as those who are to live with a biblical worldview?

  First, we must focus on true beauty. Too often Christian women focus on their external appearance yet neglect the incredible lasting beauty of their hearts. A beautiful heart has great value both in this world and in the courts of heaven.

  Then, what do we praise? What do we honor? Do we encourage our children to focus on that which is so fleeting? Sadly, too often, as in Pretty Woman, externalism is overly sexualized. Or, do we choose to have an eternal worldview, focusing on character, godliness and fruit of the Spirit?

  A lost world focuses on what a woman looks like on the outside. God cares about what she looks like on the inside. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to be attractive, yet it’s imperative that we keep things in balance and concentrate on that which has lasting value. God’s desire is for us to work on becoming drop-dead gorgeous…internally. As we do, others will see true beauty, as illustrated in this letter to Ann Landers some years ago:

  A little boy about 9 years of age went to town to buy his mother a gift for her birthday. He decided to buy her a slip. The saleslady asked him what size his mother wore. He picked out one, and she wrapped it for him.

  His mother opened it and saw that the slip was a size 12, not the ample size 22 that she really wore. She told her son it was the most beautiful slip she had ever seen and did not let on that it was the incorrect size. The child was very pleased to see his mother so happy. The next day, the mother went to the store to exchange the slip. The saleslady remembered her son vividly. She told the mother that when she had asked him what size his mother was, the little boy replied, “She’s just perfect.”

  Every woman can be the “world’s most beautiful” in God’s eyes. It’s not something found in a tube or bottle; it’s an inside job. It begins with a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Beauty is a gift of grace. It’s by depending on God’s power to bring about heart change and lasting beauty. 

Can we help you spiritually? Can we help you know Jesus better? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or, call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address.