"Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder"

Ever heard that saying? I’m guessing most of you have. It’s an expression used to display the thought that beauty varies in the mind of each individual. And while I am touching base specifically on the female side of beauty, we are all subject to unrealistic standards, both male and female. Don’t get me wrong.

So who is the beholder for you? Maybe you’ve viewed the beholder as yourself, a significant other, your family, your friends, or even strangers. In today’s world, it seems society is the main beholder. But I’m here to suggest that the beholder we are speaking of is God. Or at least, he is the only one that matters. I want to discuss beauty with you from a Christian standpoint.

Society enjoys embedding its picture of “beauty” in our brains. Whether we want the opinion or not, it’s always there: on television, in magazines, online, and so forth. You are supposed to have a certain physique, a perfect complexion, specific makeup products, and a sundry of other physical features.

You may have heard a million beauty speeches before, and how we’re all beautiful in our own way, but I want to emphasize that you don’t have to feel compelled to look a certain way. As Christians especially, we should know this more than others. We should, but we usually don’t.

So what’s stopping us from loving ourselves? Why are we always finding flaws? I think at times we all struggle with truly believing that we don’t need to have a certain appearance. This, to me, is a result of two reasons: comparing ourselves to others and becoming caught up in the world’s view of beauty, instead of God’s.

I personally struggle with comparison frequently. Being premature, I look younger than I actually am, and I tend to be very self-conscious of that fact. It doesn’t help that the world tends to be shallow and vain, as is portrayed through the seemingly perfect appearances of celebrities.

But think of what Paul says in Galatians 1:10 when falling prey to comparison. “For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.” We, as Christians, should feel liberated from trying to uphold anyone else’s standard of beauty.

Now think of God’s view. God loves us and thinks you are gorgeous. He adores every inch of you, even if you don’t. He could care less if you brushed your hair or put makeup on. Every single woman is his label of beauty, not just women who are a certain height or weight or skin tone. If you want to find true beauty, according to God’s standard, just look in the mirror.

So let joy seep through every pore in your being, knowing, “You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the LORD, and a diadem in the hand of your God.” (Isaiah 62:3)

Take solace in knowing that as Solomon says of his wife, God agrees, “You are altogether beautiful, my love; there is no flaw in you.” (Song of Solomon 4:7)

So let us, you and I, embrace who we are. Not who we want to be or who we are not. Don’t live by anyone else’s standards of beauty. Don’t even live by your own standards. Live by His. Do not let society convince you that you are not beautiful. The Greatest Beholder views you as breathtakingly stunning.

~Annah