Beauty That Exalts the Mind and Spirit

A beautiful friend and mentor sent me an email of encouragement today.  I opened the email to read:::

 

"I read this devotional and wanted to bless you with it. Hope you're having a sweet day and SCW (if you get to go)!

"Beauty: a quality that pleases the senses or agreeably engages the mind or spirit."

What do you imagine when you hear the word beauty? The colors of a midsummer sunset? the fragrance of a rose? the roar of ocean waves crashing on a cliff? Often we apply the term only in describing physical attractiveness. But there's so much more to genuine beauty than that. Mothers have told daughters for multiple generations, "beauty is only skin deep," and "pretty is as pretty does." Nearly 1,000 years before Jesus was born, Scripture taught all who would listen, "Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised" (prov 31:30).

The cosmetic and clothing industries spend billions of dollars each year in the futile attempt to disprove it. Still, those of us whose photograph will never grace the cover of a glamour magazine can find joy in knowing that true beauty doesn't come from a jar. It can't be painted on, powedered up, nipped, or tucked. Mama's wise words to me were, "it's what's on the inside that really counts." Beauty that exalts the mind and spirit comes from God. We are made beautiful by Christ's perfect love for us, love made visible in the beauty of His cross. As we consider that love, the Holy Spirit shapes and transforms our hearts so that, little by little, we become more like Jesus in love and service.

How do you visualize the beauty of Christ? That beauty derives from His infinite love. His tender voice is soft and gentle. His name is above all names. The psalmist prayed, "One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek Him in His temple." (psalm 27:4)

Yes, we all have bad-hair days, days we don't feel "pretty." Our mirrors reveal flaws and imperfections. But scars, crow's-feet, cellulite, wrinkles, and warts do not define us. Knowing, trusting, loving, and living for Jesus makes us beautiful. I pray that His loveliness will be reflected in me.

--Diane Graham and Julie Norris

"Your beauty...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"