First things first, let’s start with the letter B.
B is going to stand for the following truth: Beauty comes from a gentle and quiet spirit. In the first book of Peter, chapter 3, verses 3 and 4, we are told that “our beauty should not come from outward adornment…instead it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so great a worth in God’s sight.” Now, if you are anything like me, you might be discouraged by this verse. I have never been known to have a gentle and quiet spirit. I’m actually very loud. But I don’t think this verse is simply talking about being quiet. I think the Lord is trying to convey an overarching idea in this passage. He was to drill into our outward appearance-obsessed brains that true beauty is found within. This is not something that people say to make themselves feel better. This is actually the truth. True, lasting beauty can be found underneath the surface. And God tells us that a gentle spirit is beautiful. The Word also instructs us that we should let our gentleness be evident to all for the Lord is near. This is something I have to pray about daily. I want to be more gentle because I long to be beautiful inwardly. You may be like me and not think that you are naturally gentle or quiet. I have good news for you. The Bible says that one of the fruits of the Spirit is gentleness. Therefore, if you have the Spirit of Christ living in you, you already have gentleness! All you have to do is tap into it and figure out what is covering it up that the Lord needs to rid you of. Or maybe you are reading this and you are more of the quiet type. Praise the Lord for that! It is not a flaw at all. Scripture is filled with verses about the benefits of silence and quiet.
E will stand for this truth: Every single person on this earth has been made in the image of God. This mean that when the Lord created you, He formed you in His likeness. We have the fingerprints of God all over us and we have been crafted in His very image! Genesis 1:27 tells us that “God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female, He created them.” When I looked up that original Hebrew meaning of the word “image” it literally means “likeness, of resemblance.” God is beauty. He is the author of beauty. And since we are created in His image, having a resemblance of likeness to Him, we are beauty too! We take on His beauty.
A stands for one of my favorite verses: Song of Solomon 4:7 says, “All beautiful you are my darling. There is no flaw in you.” Or, I also love the NASB translation of this same verse: “You are altogether beautiful, my darling and there is no blemish in you.” I don’t know about you, but it’s hard for me to believe this verse when I wake up in the morning with a new pimple staring at me in the mirror. It’s hard for me to accept this truth when all I can see are my flaws and blemishes. But regardless of what we see in our mind’s eyes, the truth of Scripture is clear. When I looked up the definition in the original Hebrew language, I found that beautiful literally means fair, beautiful, and handsome. This is good news because this verse can be applied to guys too! Lots of times, when I start talking about all this girly beauty stuff, guys completely zone out. Well not anymore! Even the Word uses the term “handsome.” Share this truth with your guy friends who might be stuggling with their image, as well. I’ve realized that it’s not just us gals who have insecurities in this area. So brothers and sisters, the next time you look in the mirror and all you see are tons of flaws and blemishes, may you be reminded that there is no flaw in you! You are ALL beautiful! The words used in this verse are inclusive. All means all and no flaw means exactly that.
U represents this truth: Ultimate beauty is found in the heart. I know I touched on this in the first letter, but I want to explore it more in depth. 1 Samuel 16:7 tells us that God looks at the heart, whereas man looks at the outward appearance. You can go to any grocery store and look at any magazine and you will see lots of words about beauty and you will see lots of pictures of “beautiful” women who have been airbrushed to perfection. It’s true that most of us are focused on the outward appearance. It’s easy to confuse true beauty for what we see in the media. Now, don’t get me wrong here. I’m not blasting the media. I’m simply stating the fact that beauty has a blurred connotation in this present age. Scripture is very clear, however, about what God sees and where true beauty can be found. The most beautiful people to me are the ones whose beauty shines out of them. You can literally sense their inner beauty just by looking into their eyes. If you have Jesus living in you, you have true beauty already inside you. Let it out! This is not just some motivational mumbo jumbo. It’s the truth! Maybe you are reading this and you have no idea what it means to have a personal relationship with Jesus. If that is you, please email me and I would love to talk with you more about. When the Lord comes into your heart, you will never be the same again!
I looked up the original Hebrew definition for the word “looks” that is used in 1 Samuel 16:7 and it literally means “to see, look at, inspect, perceive, consider, look after, learn about, observe, watch, give attention to, gaze at.” My favorite is the last phrase: to gaze at. Can you imagine the God of all creation, the God who breathed life into your lifeless lungs, gazes at your heart? When He looks at you, He sees your heart. What He loves the most is to see your heart beating with love for Him! I also looked up the Hebrew definition for “heart” in this same Scripture and I found it to mean “inner man, mind, will, heart, soul, understanding, knowledge, inclination, determination, conscience, one’s set of emotions and passions.” These are the things God sees! It says nothing about the external qualities of a person. Now does this mean you can just let yourself go and be unhealthy in how you take care of your physical body? Of course not. Let us never forget that our body is a temple of the Holy Spirit and we must honor it as such.
T will represent one of the most encouraging verses, Psalm 45:11, to women on the issue of beauty and image: “The King is enthralled by your beauty, honor Him for He is your Lord.” The NASB translation puts it this way: “The King will desire your beauty.” The King as described in this passage is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, our God Himself. Looking to the Hebrew, once again, I found that the literally meaning for “desire” is “incline, covet, wait longingly, wish, sigh, want, be greedy, prefer.” Wow! Isn’t this one of the most encouraging things you’ve heart today? Plug each of those words into the verse. My favorite: “The King waits longingly for your beauty! He is captivated by you!” The Message translation of the Bible paints a beautiful picture of this same verse: “The King is wild about you!” If we truly let this sink in, it would forever change our lives. It would forever change how we see ourselves.
Y stands for the last, but definitely not least, truth about your beauty: “You have been fearfully and wonderfully made” (Ps. 139:14). Your Heavenly Father took all the time in the world to create you. He didn’t rush the process by hurrying because He was so busy creating everyone else. No, He has all the time in the world because he is outside of time. He was intentional about how He made you. He formed you in your mother’s womb before your mother even knew she was pregnant! He chose you and specially crafted you with the utmost care. There is no one else like you in the world. And there will never be. God has mde you unique. The Hebrew meaning for the word “wonderfully” literally means “to be distinct, marked ou, be separated, be distinuished, to make separate, to set apart, to be wonderful.” Again, wow! Can I get a witness? This is the truth ladies and gentlemen(if gentlemen happen to be reading this, which I hope you are too!) God Almighty made you to be distinct. He marked you out. He distinguishes you among all others. You have been set apart for His glory! You are the apple of His eye. And that is one big apple!
So with all this truth and encouragement from the Bible, why do we still doubt? Why do we hold so tightly to our insecurities? Why do we believe the lies that we are not who God created us to be? Each of us will have to find the answer to that question for ourselves. I want to leave you with a mental picture. If you have ever been Colorado or any other area of the world where it is beautifully mountainous, you probably do what I do. You look up at the mountains and you are captivated with the beauty that you see. You get caught up in the moment of how amazing and how unbelievably huge and gorgeous everything is. Or maybe you see the bearuty of God’s creation in a sunset, a sunrise, a blooming flower, the sound of laughter, the leaves blowing in the wind, the indescribable color of a God-painted sky, or the breathtaking view of the boundless ocean. Whatever it is for you, we all have those moments where we find ourselves basking in the beauty of God’s creation. Let me ask you a question though. Do you know that none of those things I mentioned were created in the image of God? Do you know that the only thing described in Scripture as being formed in the image of God is you and me? Humans are the only creation of God that He made in His very image. We are unique in that. So how is it that we can be overwhelmed by the beauty of an ocean, but we refuse to notice the beauty in ourselves, that is, the likeness of Christ? I’m guilty of this. My favorite sport is snow skiing and I always go on and on to the Lord praising Him for the beauty I see in the mountains. Yet, when I look at myself in the mirror sporting that ridiculously unflattering ski garb, I immediately allow my mind to run with thoughts of discouragment and insecurity. May we always remember that we are beautiful, no matter what we see in our mind’s eye. It’s time to change our way of thinking. It’s time to battle the lies with the truth of Scripture.
To recap: Beauty comes from a gentle and quiet spirit. Every single person has been created in the image of God. All beautiful you are my darling, says the Lord, there is no flaw in you. Ultimate beauty is found in the heart. The King is enthralled by your beauty. You have been fearfully and wonderfully made. Take these truths, apply them to your life, and spread that word to every single girl you know that needs to hear this. His Word is truth and God’s desire for you is that you would realize your beauty in HIm; that is Christ, the hope of glory!
Rock on sisters and brothers. Rock on.
Written By: Lindsey Kane
Note: My friend, Jessica, sent this to me a couple years, and I thought that you all would be blessed and encouraged by it just as I was!
