Beautiful?

"Beauty, according to the Christian worldview, is established by God himself, and is inseparable from truth and goodness. Attractiveness is the mere delight of the eyes. In a sinful world, our eyes delight in many wrong things, and many of the most beautiful realities are, to the mere eyes, unattractive."- Albert Mohler

I recently did a study through Proverbs 31:10-31 and learned a great deal about myself…something disgusting.

“Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.”- Proverbs 31:30

Have you ever thought through this verse? Yes, we as women quote it often to ourselves and know that to men this whole passage is what should be sought after in a wife, but have we really used this passage as a mirror for ourselves? Does it really reflect what is in our hearts?

Not in mine.

What great conviction came when I read a “GirlTalk” blog on beauty and they asked these questions: (I urge you to answer these as well, not just in thought actually write it down as if you were truly having to answer these questions)

"Why do you try to make yourself look more beautiful and attractive? What do you hope to gain?”

and

"How has it worked out for you? Has the pursuit of physical beauty helped you achieve all you hoped it would? Explain.”

As I began to answer, heaviness came upon me and I became absolutely disgusted with myself, I was not living out this verse but actually holding beauty as an idol. Here’s what was answered:

"Why do you try to make yourself look more beautiful and attractive? What do you hope to gain?”

Most of the time I try to make my self more attractive and achieve beauty, not because this is most glorifying to God, but rather because of a standard that has been set. Before I was saved I modeled, which is a field that focuses so much on outward appearance you almost begin to lose who you truly are as a person...your looks define you. Putting on make-up and nice clothing becomes almost a putting on of yourself (the opposite of things such as "clothing yourself in humility"). This past life has embedded itself so deep into my mind that it has become so difficult to overcome since salvation, spiritual beauty has not yet come to reign over physical beauty in my heart and it is truly a daily struggle. I had someone say to me the other day "What would life be like the day Ashley doesn't receive a complement?" This hit me so hard...because honestly I would see myself as less beautiful and ultimately of lesser worth, this is why I strive for physical beauty...value.

and

"How has it worked out for you? Has the pursuit of physical beauty helped you achieve all you hoped it would? Explain.”

Physical beauty has not helped me achieve much except in a worldly sense, in the past I used it for many evil things, even getting a stranger to pay for my meal and when I find myself now a days trying to gain from physical beauty I am disgusted. From the world's eyes I had gain and achieved great things but in my heart and in the eye's of God all I gain is conviction of my sin. It's easy to flash a smile and bat your eye lashes; but it is beyond difficult to sit reverently at the Lord's feet allowing His view of beauty to become yours.

“Specifically, God's will includes salvation (1 Tim. 2:4); self-sacrifice (Rom. 12:1-2); Spirit filling (Eph. 5:18); submission (1Pet. 2:13-15); suffering (1 Pet. 3:17); satisfaction (1 Thess. 5:18); and sanctification (1 Thess. 4:3).”- John MacArthur

When God graciously exposes our sin to us we become humbled, falling at his feet. God’s view of beauty is us following His will, it is not aligned with the world’s view of beauty.

I challenge you to perform a “heart check” in this area, even if you do not see it as being a struggle for you, because I didn’t think it was for me either…

“But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart."- 1 Samuel 16:7