February 19, 2023
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Psalms 139:14
I will praise Thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are Thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.
Song of Songs 4:7
Thou art all fair, my love; there is no spot in thee.
Ephesians 2:10
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
Nowadays there is so much emphasis on external or physical beauty. In fact, the beauty industry, which includes cosmetics, skin care, hair care, and personal care is estimated to generate over $500 billion dollars in revenue worldwide. There is certainly nothing wrong with someone wanting to look their best and spending their money and time to do so. However, focusing on one’s external appearance to the point that it negatively impacts quality of life, and most importantly, someone’s walk with the Lord is a problem.
Some people don’t feel beautiful because they were told at a young age that they weren’t beautiful, pretty, cute, good-looking, or handsome. Sadly, some people were flat out told that they were ugly, unattractive, or not pleasing to the eye. These messages may have come from home, school, work, intimate relationships, or other sources. People may have received these messages while being compared to others by others or internally, comparing themselves to others. Whatever the case, it’s becoming more and more common for people to rate themselves based on a false message of beauty.
There is a saying that beauty is only skin deep, meaning that it’s what’s on the inside, a person’s character that really counts. Undoubtedly a person’s character is important in every facet of life. But it’s natural to want to look and feel beautiful on the outside, as well as the inside. The problem is that too often some people allow their measure of beauty to be determined by the wrong eyes, even if those eyes are their own.
So, stop looking to have your beauty validated through the eyes of other people. And stop invalidating your beauty through your own eyes. The beautiful thing about having a personal relationship with the Lord, is that you start seeing yourself through His eyes. You begin to accept that God created a beautiful masterpiece in you, inside and out. You know that you are fearfully and wonderfully made. You know that you walk in beauty, you live in beauty, you are beauty. You know it, you claim it, you own it in the mighty name of Jesus. Begin to see yourself through God’s eyes and know that you are beautiful in every way.
Prayer:
Dear Father God,
Thank You Lord for your loving message of true beauty. Lord, I pray that for those who feel that they are not beautiful for whatever the reason, You will cancel and delete that message right now. I pray that You will help them to see themselves through Your eyes and use Your measure of beauty as their only true measure of beauty. I pray that they will strengthen their relationship with You so that they have the power to refuse any message about their beauty that does not align with Yours. Lord, I pray that they will know who they are and whose they as they are fearfully and wonderfully made by You. Lord, I pray that as they seek to live for You, that old things will pass away and that all things will become new. I pray that they will have a new mindset on today. Lord, I pray that they will look in the mirror and boldly proclaim through You, I am beautiful.
In Jesus’ mighty and precious name we pray, thank You Lord,
Amen
Copyright © 2023 Dr. Lou Ella V. Taylor PhD, CNS, RN