Let's talk about something we all think about from time to time.
Beauty.
What makes someone beautiful?
In a survey of 100 girls from local middle and high schools,
13% had an answer dealing with outer beauty.
87% had an answer dealing with inner beauty.
When you think of the word "beautiful", what comes to your mind?
Automatically, I think a lot of us picture beauty as something physical, something you can see.
But when we think about it, most of us know that beauty is a lot more than that.
Think of it this way. It might seem weird, but just bear with me.
You make a bunch of.. flowers. Out of play doh.
They all look pretty much the same, except they are different colors.
Some are pink, some are purple, some are green, some are blue, some are white, some are yellow, some are orange, some are red.
They are all really pretty and cool-looking and they all are going to be parts of your play doh garden.
Okay, picture that.
Then the flowers decide that
beautiful = green.
What?
What about the pink, purple, red, orange, blue, white, and yellow ones?
Those are beautiful too, aren't they?
That is what we do to God, when we think what makes someone beautiful is an outside matter.
He made all of us, all different "colors", but all special, beautiful, and part of His "garden".
When we say that
beautiful = cool-colored eyes, shiny hair, perfect weight, straight teeth, clear skin, etc.
He thinks that is crazy!
It is exactly the same as flowers saying beautiful = green.
Shiny, smooth hair is just one kind of hair. God likes the frizzy, wavy, curly kind just as much.
It's like green vs pink, purple, blue, orange, etc.
So, beauty really isn't an outside thing.
So, what DOES make someone beautiful?
Well, here's what the Bible has to say.
Your beauty should not come from outward adornment,
such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes.
Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.
1 Peter 3:3-4 NIV (2011)
So there it is. Beauty = inner self, gentle and quiet spirit. That's beautiful.
The king is enthralled by your beauty, honor Him, for He is your Lord.
Psalm 45:11 NIV (1984)
This verse doesnt say, the king is enthralled by your beauty IF...
That's not for only certain girls.
That's not for the skinny girls.
That's not for the girls with long shiny hair.
That's not for the girls with straight teeth and perfect smiles.
That's for EVERYONE.
All God wants is for us to HONOR HIM.
Not to look a certain way.
But to honor Him.
He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.
Ecclesiastes 3:11 NIV (2011)
He has made EVERYTHING beautiful.
Not some people. Not some things.
Everything.
We are all works of God, so we are all beautiful.
Compared to eternity, what we look like is nothing. We can't even fathom what God is doing, so our focus shouldnt be on outer beauty, because that will just waste away.
But we should focus on inner beauty, and the things God wants. The things that honor Him.
So, what makes someone beautiful?
I think the answer is God.
(Ps, thanks Lauren Granata, Rachael Huber, Bethany Lewis, Benita Jebackumar, Kylee Buchanich, and Sara Weisz for doing the survey!) :)
You make a bunch of.. flowers. Out of play doh.
They all look pretty much the same, except they are different colors.
Some are pink, some are purple, some are green, some are blue, some are white, some are yellow, some are orange, some are red.
They are all really pretty and cool-looking and they all are going to be parts of your play doh garden.
Okay, picture that.
Then the flowers decide that
beautiful = green.
What?
What about the pink, purple, red, orange, blue, white, and yellow ones?
Those are beautiful too, aren't they?
That is what we do to God, when we think what makes someone beautiful is an outside matter.
He made all of us, all different "colors", but all special, beautiful, and part of His "garden".
When we say that
beautiful = cool-colored eyes, shiny hair, perfect weight, straight teeth, clear skin, etc.
He thinks that is crazy!
It is exactly the same as flowers saying beautiful = green.
Shiny, smooth hair is just one kind of hair. God likes the frizzy, wavy, curly kind just as much.
It's like green vs pink, purple, blue, orange, etc.
So, beauty really isn't an outside thing.
So, what DOES make someone beautiful?
Well, here's what the Bible has to say.
Your beauty should not come from outward adornment,
such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes.
Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.
1 Peter 3:3-4 NIV (2011)
So there it is. Beauty = inner self, gentle and quiet spirit. That's beautiful.
The king is enthralled by your beauty, honor Him, for He is your Lord.
Psalm 45:11 NIV (1984)
This verse doesnt say, the king is enthralled by your beauty IF...
That's not for only certain girls.
That's not for the skinny girls.
That's not for the girls with long shiny hair.
That's not for the girls with straight teeth and perfect smiles.
That's for EVERYONE.
All God wants is for us to HONOR HIM.
Not to look a certain way.
But to honor Him.
He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.
Ecclesiastes 3:11 NIV (2011)
He has made EVERYTHING beautiful.
Not some people. Not some things.
Everything.
We are all works of God, so we are all beautiful.
Compared to eternity, what we look like is nothing. We can't even fathom what God is doing, so our focus shouldnt be on outer beauty, because that will just waste away.
But we should focus on inner beauty, and the things God wants. The things that honor Him.
So, what makes someone beautiful?
I think the answer is God.
(Ps, thanks Lauren Granata, Rachael Huber, Bethany Lewis, Benita Jebackumar, Kylee Buchanich, and Sara Weisz for doing the survey!) :)
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