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by Sherry Chamblee

In the Bible, the word “beauty” is used most often in reference to holiness and having a godly spirit. “Beauty is on the inside” or “beauty is in the eye of the beholder” are both seen as so cliche these days, to the point we discount these statements when we hear them. 

But think about it: those sentiments carry the weight of the Word of God behind them. If God himself says that beauty is correctly defined by our character, by our holiness, then those cliches are actually truth.  

These are the Words of God, but we don’t believe them.  

I know we don’t believe them because we continually worry about how we look on the outside. Not general tidiness, but physical, unchangeable features. We worry that our nose is too big, or our eyebrows aren’t even, or we worry that our hair isn’t the color we want or it’s too curly or too straight.  

We gauge our worth based on who’s attracted to us. We give more weight to words spoken by good looking people. We seek friendships from people who have a pleasant appearance.  

We struggle with letting our eyes guide our beliefs, because we’re not believing God about what’s really important.  

I Chronicles 16:29 

“Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come before him: worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.”

God calls holiness beautiful. He describes the way He wants our worship to look – done in the beauty of holiness. Let’s think about that phrase for a few seconds. Holiness has a beauty to it. It’s attractive, appealing, pleasing to the Lord. Holiness is not ugly or undesirable, it’s a beautiful thing.  

When we believe in beauty being seated in our character, we’ll act like it. Holiness is what we’ll seek. Righteousness is what we’ll long for. We’ll be able to look past the outside, and search the inner part of the character.   

How can we practice being attracted to holiness? 

Perhaps looking in the mirror of God’s Word more than in the mirror on the wall?  

Maybe doing what God says no matter what it “looks” like to the world?  

Perhaps judging a person’s words based on the contents of the Bible, rather than on a personal charm or attractive features… 

While our salvation is sure once we place our trust in Christ, that inner beauty is an ongoing journey. One we’re all on together.

About the Author:

Sherry grew up in various cities around northern and central California. This gave her all sorts of stories that sat and festered in her brain, waiting to be let loose. She eventually went to college in Wisconsin, where she met her equally frenetic husband, Rich. They have six (yes, count them) children, two dogs and a cat, and currently reside in a madhouse in the southern California area. As a family, they enjoy being active in their local church. Sherry spends her time writing when not caring for Granny, the kids, the dogs, the cat and any number of strays in the neighborhood.

Sherry Chamblee can be found at http://www.sherrychamblee.weebly.com Or check out her books at http://www.amazon.com/Sherry-Chamblee/e/B00BA06RJ2/