True Beauty
What do you think of when you hear the word “beauty”? Do you automatically think of that famous actress with the seemingly never-aging body and flawless skin? The woman on your exercise app who exhibits Hulk-like strength and fortitude? Maybe it’s the makeup stashed in your bathroom drawer that promises to erase wrinkles and create a beautiful face. Or maybe you’re thinking of some majestic mountains you hiked through on vacation.
I guess all of us want to live what we might call “a beautiful life.” You know, the kind of life you see on social media or in magazines. We want to look good and feel good—in our bodies, in our minds, in what we eat and how we dress. But to find true beauty, we need to look first at God.
The Beauty of God
Right now, the change of seasons surrounds me. We are officially in fall, but the temperature still feels like summer. The trees are draped in colorful leaves, billowy clouds float in the blue sky, and the squirrels are chasing each other in my backyard. All of these magnificent scenes are created by our good and sovereign God. He is the one who paints the moon in the sky each night and causes the bright morning sun to rise. He puts the stars in the heavens and knows every hair on every person’s head. And he is himself beautiful.
In the book of Psalms, we see David reminding himself of the beauty of God in an unlikely situation: when he is being attacked and pursued by King Saul.
One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: 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 inquire in his temple. (Ps. 27:4)
Even in the midst of danger, David doesn’t say, “One thing I ask: that I may be safe!” None of the worries of David’s life seem to matter in comparison with having a relationship with God. And none of the good things in his life do either. Being made king is nothing compared to the steadfast companionship of the Lord. Impressing others with worldly success doesn’t light a candle to being consumed with an infinitely perfect God—because it’s not about David, it’s about God.
The Beauty of the Cross
Is that how you and I feel? Not always! And particularly when it comes to issues around our bodies. It’s completely natural to want to look good and feel good, but very often that leads us into worry and fear. We worry about our attractiveness, we worry about weight, we worry that our bodies can’t do what they used to be able to do, we worry about how healthy we are or aren’t. It’s easy to become consumed with issues related to our bodies.
Beauty is defined as “the quality present in a thing or person that gives intense pleasure or deep satisfaction to the mind, whether arising from sensory manifestations (as shape, color, sound, etc.), a meaningful design or pattern, or something else (as a personality in which high spiritual qualities are manifest).” Intense pleasure or deep satisfaction to the mind. Maybe you’ve enjoyed the beauty of a pink sunset. Or you’ve marveled at the intricacies of a hand-sewn quilt. It’s undeniable: God created us as people who delight in beauty.
God, as our Creator, is the source of all physical beauty—but he himself is also the most magnificent display of beauty. This might sound strange—didn’t Jesus die a gruesome and horrific death on the cross? In what sense is he a marvelous display of beauty? Remember that beauty is more than outward appearance. Our definition of beauty says that it can arise from something like a person’s character or personality.
That’s what we think about when it comes to God’s beauty: his character. We can meditate on his boundless mercy that gave us new life in Christ—and not by any of our own doing, but by his grace alone. No amount of good deeds or kind thoughts can give us redemption from our sin, but only Jesus! What a marvelous, undeserved gift. We were once dead but are now alive! Isn’t that beautiful?
But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved. (Eph. 2:4–5)
The Beauty of the Gospel
I remember reading the Bible for the very first time as a new believer in college. One day as I was sitting in my dorm room soaking up the parable of the lost sheep in Luke 15:1–7, I was overcome with God’s love for me. Tears spilled over as I realized that I was the lost sheep that had been found. Jesus’ love became so real to me—a beautiful display of the life-changing power of the gospel. God was giving me joy in things that I’d never experienced before! My eyes were open to new spiritual realities, and my newfound faith in Christ propelled me to share the good news with all the college students I knew (no matter how crazy I might have seemed).
Jesus Christ came to earth as a baby, suffered, bled, and died to take away our sin. His perfect obedience to the Father and his excruciating death on the cross paved the way for his enemies to be made friends. When we ponder what Jesus has done for us, freeing us from this dark world and giving us eternal life in him, we realize that he is the essence of beauty. His love is made manifest by his death and resurrection: “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Rom. 5:8) And this beauty doesn’t just inspire us: it changes us. When we are in Christ, our Father sees us as he sees Jesus. We are holy in God’s sight, blameless and unblemished (Col. 1:22). This matters hugely!
Maybe you feel ugly or fear being unloved. Or maybe you are in pain or frustrated by your body. Remind yourself that you already give pleasure and satisfaction to our heavenly Father. You are loved. You are beautiful.
This article has been adapted from Beautiful Freedom: How the Bible Shapes Your View of Appearance, Food, and Fitness by Stacy Reaoch.