{"id":6333,"date":"2023-08-27T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-08-27T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/barbdahlgren.com\/?p=6333"},"modified":"2023-06-25T16:05:08","modified_gmt":"2023-06-25T21:05:08","slug":"beauty-in-others","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/barbdahlgren.com\/?p=6333","title":{"rendered":"Beauty in Others"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Abundant Life: Riches money can\u2019t buy\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n

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The abundant life recognizes true beauty in others.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beauty is subjective. Different people have various ideas about what they consider beautiful. Unfortunately, most of us have been bombarded with digitally enhanced images through television, movies, and magazines. We have been subliminally programmed to buy into the media\u2019s idea of beauty which is based solely on airbrushed appearances. This is bound to have an effect on how we think.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If we try to set a guy friend up on a blind date, the first thing he might ask is, \u201cWhat does she look like?\u201d We might say, \u201cShe\u2019s nice, intelligent, well groomed, has a sense of humor, and just won the Nobel Peace Prize,\u201d but he would probably still say, \u201cSure, but what does she look like?\u201d This is understandable to a certain degree because there is such a thing as physical attraction. However, those who never look for more than this are doomed for disappointment because physical beauty is really only skin-deep.<\/p>\n\n\n\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. Eliab must have been a tall, handsome hunk\u2014what everyone thought a king should look like. So much so that when Samuel gazed on Eliab\u2019s \u201chunkiness\u201d he said, \u201cSurely the Lord\u2019s anointed stands here before the Lord.\u201d (1 Samuel 16:6)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That was a wrong assumption because God had other ideas. God said, \u201cDo not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him.\u201d (1 Samuel 16:7) In other words, it didn\u2019t matter if Eliab 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\u2014a lowly shepherd.<\/p>\n\n\n\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<\/p>\n\n\n\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 fruit of His Spirit more appealing. (Galatians 5:22-23) When we look for the beauty in others, let\u2019s look for those qualities most important to God\u2014things like love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those living the abundant life know that charm can be deceitful and beauty is passing. (Proverbs 31:30) Fashions go out of style and external beauty fades, but godly character lasts forever. How beautiful!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

*****<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c<\/em>\u2026I have come that they may have life and that they<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

may have it more abundantly.\u201d ~John 10:10 (KJV)<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Abundant Life: Riches money can\u2019t buy\u2026 The abundant life recognizes true beauty in others.   Beauty is subjective. Different people have various ideas about what they consider beautiful. Unfortunately, most of us have been bombarded with digitally enhanced images … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/barbdahlgren.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6333"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/barbdahlgren.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/barbdahlgren.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/barbdahlgren.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/barbdahlgren.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6333"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/barbdahlgren.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6333\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6336,"href":"https:\/\/barbdahlgren.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6333\/revisions\/6336"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/barbdahlgren.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6333"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/barbdahlgren.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6333"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/barbdahlgren.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6333"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}