Beautiful In God's Eyes

The renowned Quaker scholar Rufus Jones was speaking of the importance of having a radiant countenance. After his address, a woman “with an almost unbelievably plain face” came up and asked him what he would do if he had a face like hers.

He replied, “While I have troubles of my own of that kind, I’ve discovered that if you light it up from within, any old face you have is good enough.”   - Our Daily Bread, December 7, 1992

I was watching a program on t.v. a short while ago, and it made me realize something. This particular episode was all about a group of women and various types of plastic surgeries performed on their bodies. These women were looking to improve their outward appearances by way of nips and tucks, fat removal, breast enhancement and reduction, etc.; you know what I'm talking about.

Now, I'm not for, or against any of these types of surgeries (especially when it involves grown, adult women). Some surgeries are necessary due to sickness, disease, or accidents. I get that. Others seek to improve their self-image, esteem, and maybe just to zhoosh up a certain body area or two. Hmmm.. Anyway, there was an awful lot of attention given to one's exterior beauty.

As I mentioned before, all of this got me thinking. How come so much attention to outside beauty, but nothing mentioned about the inside? I'm not talking about our internal organs; as the health and maintenance of these are undoubtedly very important. No, I'm talking about our inner, spiritual beauty, which is very significant, as well.

Much has been said about the urgency of maintaining our spiritual beauty. In fact, the Bible gives us many verses regarding this very topic.1 Peter 3:3-4 tells us that what is in our hearts is more attractive than our outward appearance. Another verse, Proverbs 31:30, tells us that being respectful and obedient to God is more desireable than mere outside beauty. 2 Corinthians 4:16 reminds us of how our exterior appearance wastes away daily, but not so our spirit.

American actress, Audrey Hepburn once said, "The beauty of a woman must be seen from in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart, the place where love resides." The heart is where God resides inside all of us! In the Bible (King James Version), the word "heart" appears approximately 725 times in the O.T., and 105 times in the N.T. This is not accidental, or coincidental.

There's no question that the world greatly values what people look like on the outside. However. God places His focus on what we look like on the inside. Now, here's I ask you this, "Do you put more time and effort into being pretty on the outside or the inside?" Be honest when you ask yourself this question.

We do a lot to take care of our bodies, especially on what the world sees. We exercise, try to eat the right foods, get enough rest, but what do we really do for our inner, spirtual beauty? Most of us are very aware of how our bodies are changing, and have changed, over the course of our lives. This is all just part of the natural process. It happens to all of us.

Eventually, our physical bodies will fail us and we will die. All of that great work that we invested in our outward selves will not do us a bit of good at that point. But it's our inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, that is more valuable in God's sight.

Make an investment in your inner self, your heart for God. Some really basic things you can do to stay in shape spiritually, if you haven't been already, can be: reading your Bible, praying, and going to church on a regular basis. Pretty simple, right?

There are plenty of us out there who put lots of time and effort into staying in shape physically,  but who are totally out of shape spiritually. I'm here to remind you that if we don't know Jesus Christ, our perfect bodies won't get us through the gates of heaven.  Remember this: God created us all in His image (Genesis 1:27). To Him, each one of us is a masterpiece!

Scripture: Ezekiel 16:14; 1 Peter 5:6; Isaiah 64:8; 1 Timothy 3:11; 1 Timothy 4:8

Prayer: Dear God, thank you for making me as I am. Yes, I have my quirks and imperfections, but I wouldn't trade them for anything. I am Your creation, and and as such, I am beautiful in Your eyes, and that's what truly matters! Amen

Have a blessed day!

Renay