After last week’s post regaling my enormous relief about my miraculous wicked witchy facial mole healing (scroll back if you missed it!), I’ve been thinking a lot about the importance (or lack thereof) of physical beauty. A potentially depressing topic for sure, with my Medicare birthday approaching like a rogue steam roller.
That led me to a passage in my book, More Beauty, Less Beast: Transforming Your Inner Ogre, where I waxed a bit eloquent about that very subject in the chapter, “Inside Out: God’s Beauty Standard. ” Thought I’d share that with you today.
“My coworker Alexa, was single, twentysomething, and the epitome of trendy. She wouldn’t be caught dead in a blouse that wasn’t Armani and always wore chic outfits with designer shoes to work.
One day, Alexa exited the ladies’ room in a smidge too much of a hurry and all heads swiveled in her direction as she strode confidently across the room. It was only when she reached her work station that she realized the back hem of her skirt was caught in the waistband of her thong, offering exclusive southern exposure.
Beauty can be such a beast.
We all want to feel beautiful. And we certainly don’t want to feel judged by our appearance. But I find the judgment pronounced by those horrendous three-way dressing room mirrors worse than any judgment on earth. Especially when I’m bathing suit shopping. Those mirrors have no mercy. No sympathy. You can’t escape your flaws; they’re exposed from every possible angle in the glare of unforgiving white light.
And no matter how many bathing suits you try on, you keep thinking, The next one’s GOT to be better. So you work your way through mountains of spandex and finally realize the only way you’re going to find a suit that’ll hold everything together is to cut one from the trampoline in your backyard.
Sigh. Solomon was right: “All is vanity,” (Ecc 1:2 KJV).
Yep, the Bible reminds us that as thinking women, we should realize that external beauty is temporary and subjective and as fleeting as platform heels or big hair. Here today, gone by suppertime. That principle is easy enough to prove by the boxes of fur-trimmed miniskirts and plaid bell-bottoms we’ve excised from our closets over the years.
God’s value and the world’s are just the opposite. It’s our inside-out kind of beauty that’s most important to Him – the only thing of eternal value. Even so, sometimes we wrestle with keeping our attention focused on Papa God and not on designer jeans. Especially if there’s a sale at Macy’s.
Real beauty can only come from God’s inside-out love. When we finally comprehend His extravagant and intimate love for us, from our flat feet to our split ends, then our heart-glow will reflect radiant beauty from the inside out. We’ll finally feel beautiful.
For only when we feel truly loved are we free to feel truly lovely.”
So tell me, dear BFF (Blessed Friend Forever), what is your biggest hindrance to feeling beautiful? (Don’t say an ugly mole in the middle of your face; that’s already been taken.)
Split ends, my nails not being done…gray hair and trying to get rid of my double chin ??I do those same facial expressions/head titling postures.
I hear you, Julie! That’s why we’re BFFs (Blessed Friends Forever)! Love to you, sister!
Love this one, Deb. And you cracked me up with “… finally realize the only way you’re going to find a suit that’ll hold everything together is to cut one from the trampoline in your backyard.”
LOL, sadly, I don’t even own a trampoline.
The good thing is that when we reach Medicare age, we begin not to care what others think about our looks, as long as we’ve given it our best shot.
And you are so right. Thankfully, God knows that real beauty comes from a heart like His.
Well said, Cheryl, my writerly friend. As you implied, I’m finding that magical Medicare age to be liberating in a way – we can’t do much about holding it all together, no matter what we do, and there’s a measure of freedom in that. Let’s meet for lunch one day this spring and commiserate! (Please remind me when I forget, which I seem to more and more these days.) Hugs to you!
It is all the pornographic magazines and images that are everywhere in our society. That makes me feel that I am not enough! What people don’t realize is that true beauty comes from God and cannot be found in the magazine!