In the Eye of the Beholder

 “If God, the Creator of the Universe, thinks I am beautiful, does anyone else’s opinion really matter?  Even my own?”  A friend posted this comment on Facebook the other day.  With some of the pretty ridiculous posts I’ve read on the social network, this jumped out as pure gold.  I want you to look in the mirror.  What exactly do you see?  If you’re like me you’ll focus on the wrinkly eyes, sagging chin and graying hair.

Let’s face it.  Our society is obsessed with physical appearance.  We are suckers for products that vow to make us look ten years younger and ten pounds lighter.   We tan, we diet, we straighten our hair and we buy all the latest cosmetics that guarantee to cover up the blemishes.   After all a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do, right?  Perhaps, but ask yourself this, has your definition of beauty been distorted?

Because of my design background it is not unusual to find me watching HGTV.  I love the shows that take a “fixer upper” and turn it into a beautifully re-created home.  At first glance, we see a hopeless mess, but the designer looks past the surface and sees the hidden beauty beneath. 

There are lots of attractive people out there that are just plain ugly when they open their mouths.  Jesus called the religious leaders of his day, “white washed tombs”.  (Matthew 23: 27-28) They paraded around like “beautiful people” who thought they had it all together, but nothing of value was on the inside.  They were spiritually dead because they could not see Jesus for who he really was.   Scripture makes it clear that “The Lord does not look at the things people look at.  People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”  (1 Samuel 16:7).

I’m sure you’ve heard the expression, “beauty is in the eye of the beholder”.  What is beautiful to one person may not be true for another.  What parent doesn’t think their child is the most beautiful thing they’ve ever seen?  Love has a way of making the focus of our adoration more beautiful in our eyes.  You may not think you’re anything special, but in the eyes of your heavenly father you are his masterpiece (Ephesians 2:10).  God’s works are wonderful and you are fearfully and wonderfully made. (Psalm 139:14). 

When I think of a beautiful person, I think of someone who shines from the inside out.  They make me feel loved, they care about others and they radiate the joy of the Lord from a sweet inner spirit.  “Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.”  (Psalm 31:30)

Consider this.  When you die will it be your internal or external beauty that people remember most?  Which do you invest more time on?  Which do you think will have impacted more lives?

Look in the mirror again.  What reflection do you see?  Since you are God’s masterpiece, I hope you now see a beautiful work of art.