Beauty

Hello Everyone!

Something that a lot of girls struggle with in our world today is the thought that 'I am not beautiful.' We will look in the mirror, see our imperfections, and tell ourselves that we are ugly, that so and so is more beautiful, I wish I was like her; So and So has the perfect complexion, hair, eye color, you name it--I wish I had that.  The problem is that we are measuring ourselves according to the world's standard of beauty. The world says that this is the way you should look in order to be beautiful. But what defines beauty? Is it the organ called skin that we so often judge a person by? Is it how thin we are or how perfect our smile is, etc? Most of you would agree with me; No! But what really defines it, then? 

Well, for one, our character. I think most of you know how a person can look perfect and beautiful physically, but their attitude blares just the opposite. Does that matter? Yes. You may also be aware of how a person that you wouldn't necessarily consider perfect physically can have a beautiful attitude and character. Does her physical appearance matter then? No. So, character is a better judge of beauty than physical appearance. 

There is another definition of beauty. Maybe you hear people tell you that you are beautiful. You may think that they are saying that just to be nice, but you really don't believe them. But do you know what? You are beautiful. Why do I say that? Because you are made in the image of God. God doesn't make mistakes. So when He made you, He 1) made you in His image, and 2) made you just the way He wanted you to be. When we say, 'I am not beautiful, I am ugly,' we are telling God that He made us to be ugly. But you know what? God looked at His creation and saw that it was very good. God is a good Creator. He makes things to be lovely and beautiful in their each, unique way. 

You look at a rose and see it's pink, red, orange, yellow or white shade and think, 'Ohh, that's a beautiful flower.' 

You look at an Indian Blanket otherwise known as the Firewheel flower, with it's many thin petals and fiery red band with yellow hem, and think, 'Wow, that is beautiful, too.' 

You look at a Day Lily with it's varieties of color, some red, some pink, some orange, and you see it's six, long petals, drooping gracefully down at the end of each petal, it's stamen and pistil extending above it's top. That's a beautiful flower, too! 

But, you see, the Indian Blanket doesn't have that same perfect shade of color as the rose, it has a completely different color scheme.  It has a different form in that it is more flat and open and has more petals each of which are narrower than a rose. The Day Lily is different from each of these, too. The flower itself is bigger and taller than the others, it's petals are long and graceful, it's stamen and pistil longer. But each is beautiful in it's own way. 

You could compare us humans to a flower: All flowers have two things in common--each was created by God, and each has the same general form that makes up a flower: A stem, stamen and pistil, petals, etc. But they each are different and unique--but beautiful--in their own way. They vary in color, size, general appearance, etc. Same with humans. We all have three things in common--we all are humans, we were created by God, and we are made in the image of God. But we each are different and unique in our own ways. Does that make us less beautiful? No! The same as a flower, we are different, but still beautiful in our own way. 

So, does that put beauty in a box, like the world does? You have to have this, this and that in order to be beautiful? No. God's creation shows that beauty is not put in a box, and a certain form, color, size, etc. is not what makes you beautiful. It is the fact that God created you and He creates things that are very good, the fact that He created you just the way He wanted you to be, and most of all, He created you in His image. 

"Beauty is vain and favor is deceitful, but the woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised."~Proverbs 31:30

Blessings,
Julia <3 
*These pictures, with the exception of the Indian Blanket flower (fourth picture from the top), are mine; please do not use without permission*