If beauty is truly in the eye of the beholder what do I see when I \u201cbehold\u201d myself in the mirror? Usually I see an older, slightly overweight, flawed individual whose gray roots are badly in need of a touch up. Most of us feel we fall short because we live in an airbrushed society obsessed with physical beauty. It\u2019s bound to influence how we look at ourselves and how we look at others.<\/p>\n
If you try to set someone up on a blind date the first thing he might ask is, \u201cWhat does she look like?\u201d You might say, \u201cShe\u2019s nice, intelligent, well groomed, has a sense of humor, and just won the Nobel Peace Prize,\u201d but they will still say, \u201cSure, but what does she look like?\u201d Let\u2019s face it, magazines don\u2019t run issues of the 50 wittiest people in the world; it\u2019s always the 50 sexiest men or 50 most beautiful women.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s true that beauty is subjective. Different people have various ideas about what they consider beautiful for beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Unfortunately most of us \u201cbeholders\u201d have been bombarded with digitally enhanced images through television, movies, and magazines. Media has determined what is beautiful and we have subliminally been programmed to buy their idea of beauty. To them the phrase \u201cinner beauty\u201d is just another way of saying \u201cuggglllyyy!\u201d<\/p>\n
Although difficult, we need to think of beauty the same way God does. Nowhere do we see God using outward appearance to determine someone\u2019s beauty. In fact he cautions us against using such criteria for judging another\u2019s worth. When God\u2019s prophet Samuel was looking for the next king of Israel among the sons of Jesse, he thought he\u2019d found the right one. So much so that when he looked at Jesse\u2019s son Eliab he said, \u201cSurely the Lord\u2019s anointed stands here before the Lord.\u201d (1 Samuel 16:6)<\/p>\n
However, God had other ideas. In I Samuel 16:7 God said, \u201cDo not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him.\u201d In other words, it didn\u2019t matter if this guy was one the 50 hunkiest men in the world and looked like he should be a king; God was looking for something else which he finally found in Eliab\u2019s kid brother David \u2013 a lowly shepherd.<\/p>\n
God went on to say, \u201cThe Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.\u201d Try telling that to People Magazine!<\/p>\n
Perhaps we should start beholding beauty the same way God does. He\u2019s not looking at a person\u2019s shiny blonde hair, blemish free skin, slim hips, and new Prada shoes. He finds a heart full of the fruits of his spirit more appealing. (Galatians 5:22-23)<\/p>\n
When we look for the beauty in others do we look for love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control? When God beholds beauty he doesn\u2019t look for something that is \u201cskin-deep.\u201d He goes much deeper \u2013 into a person\u2019s very heart. Like Helen Keller said, \u201cThe best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen\u2026they must be felt with the heart.\u201d Great perception, don\u2019t you think? Especially, since it came from a blind woman who knew how to behold the beauty all around her.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
If beauty is truly in the eye of the beholder what do I see when I \u201cbehold\u201d myself in the mirror? Usually I see an older, slightly overweight, flawed individual whose gray roots are badly in need of a touch … Continue reading