Sometimes I think the world wants us to hate our own beauty. Women are told they are “shallow” if they care a lot about how they look. And we are always telling our children that beauty comes from who they are on the inside. I think we are partly right in our mode of thinking. But we are also doing ourselves a big disservice by stripping ourselves of one of our core pieces of identity…our beauty.
You see, God created us for beauty - to make it, see it, and be it. That’s why we love to nurture the beauty in our gardens, create beautiful scrapbooks, cards and gifts, or to maintain a beautiful home. It’s who we are. Once we understand and learn that, we can free ourselves to be who we were intended to be. We can delight in painting our nails or putting on shimmer lotion without feeling like we shouldn’t be enjoying these special delights. On the other hand, we need to keep perspective on our need and desire for beauty in our life.
True beauty never attracts attention to itself. It never misuses it’s purpose to nurture, create joy, or lend encouragement and happiness…to instead harm others, satisfy its own desires, or elevate itself above everything else.
There is a great book out by John and Stasi Eldredge called “Captivating” that will help you define how beauty plays a vital role in your life and in the make-up of who you were created to be.
Just remember that it’s okay to want to look beautiful or feel beautiful. It’s okay to tell your daughter that she is beautiful (not just on the inside) as long as you keep that beauty in balance with the character that will flow from it.
We do have a great responsibility to handle our God-given beauty as women in a moral, classy, and respectful manner. But in our quest to do this, let’s not take it away altogether.
Enjoy beauty and let it restore your soul as a lady. Don’t strive for a false “perfect” standard. For if you simply are who you are…. Then your true beauty will shine. Let it!
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