I used to think that to be beautiful I needed to have the right hairstyle, wear the right brand of jeans, and have the right amount of make-up on my face.

But over the years I have learned that true beauty is much deeper than what someone sees with their eyes.

It’s not about what you look like on the outside, but the person that you are inside.

It’s not the person you are in public, but the person you are in private.

For the longest time my standard for beauty were the pictures of girls that I saw on magazine covers but in reality, it should have always been Christ.

Recently we had a women’s conference at our church and my senior pastor’s wife shared a thought about Mary, Jesus’s mother, that really made me think twice about where real beauty comes from.

She said that not once does the Bible talk about Mary’s outward appearance.

Not once does it mention how her face looked, what kind of clothes she wore, or how beautiful she was.

Yet when you and I read her story in God’s Word don’t we always imagine her to be a young, beautiful girl?

Why?

Because her beauty had nothing to do with what is visible with the eye.

It had everything to do with who she was on the inside.

It wasn’t her body, her jewelry, or her hair that made her beautiful: it was her character.

It is the fact that she was obedient to God’s call on her life even when it most likely frightened her.

It was because she found favor in His sight.

It was because of the humble, caring, and loving woman that she was.

“How many people would you impress if the whole world was blind?”

I’ve read this quote many times but today I want to look at it from another perspective:

“How many people would think you were beautiful if the whole world were blind?”

If no one could see your face, your body, your hair, and your clothes, how beautiful would you be to them then?

Would they think you are beautiful because you use your mouth to speak kindness and encouragement into people’s lives?

Would they think you are beautiful because you use your hands and feet to help those who are in need?

Would they think you are beautiful because your heart is selfless and dedicated to serving Christ?

Or would they think there is nothing beautiful in you to see unless they open their eyes?

I don’t know about you… but I want to be beautiful, not just on the outside, but even more so on the inside.

I want my character and my life to make me beautiful – not just my ability to put on make-up and pick out a cute outfit to wear for the day.

I want God to say “That’s my girl over there – she’s a reflection of everything that I am”.

I don’t want to be like the Pharisees that look flawless on the outside but are ugly within.

Today… remember that to be beautiful doesn’t require flashy clothes, sparkling jewelry, or pounds of make-up on your face.

It requires a heart that is chasing after God.

It requires someone who spends more time in His Word than in front of the mirror.

It requires someone who lives selflessly instead of selfishly.

I’m not worried about whether I will ever look like the girl on the magazine cover.

I know I never will.

All I want to look like is God’s daughter whose beauty always shines from within.

I may never learn how to style my hair just right or wear my make-up perfect.

I may never be able to afford fancy shoes and the right pair of jeans.

But I know that as long as I desire God above all else and dedicate my life to serving I will always be beautiful, to everyone around me, and to Him.

 Be blessed and stay beautiful in Christ!- Anna…♥

Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious. 1 Peter 3:3-4

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0 comments on “I don’t look like the girl on the magazine”

  1. I am sure that although I can not speak for “God” that you would indeed be quite Beautiful in God’s eyes… You are quite Gorgeous in many peoples eye’s mine included! No make up and all! 🙂 Your post certainly brought a smile! 🙂 or two..

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  4. Fantastic post! I’ve always known that inner beauty is what counts, but what you said about how the world would see us if they could only judge our beauty by our actions, our words… very thought provoking! God bless!

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    • Thank you dear! Glad the post made you think a little (it sure challenged me when I first thought about it). It’s so much more important to be beautiful on the inside than on the outside! I hope you have a lovely day! ♥

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  6. Amazing post! So thought provoking! I Love what your pastor’s wife said about Mary! So true..and that question…how beautiful would you be to a blind person? Very challenged! Thank you!

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    • Thanks Kate. Me too! It’s so simple yet profound and something I have never thought about before. 🙂 I love it when God opens up scriptures to people from a whole new angle and you can be blessed from their wisdom!

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  7. I’m in total agreement with you on this. The world’s focus is so much on the outward appearance. However, such attractiveness has nothing to do with the kind of beauty that delights the heart of our Creator. We tend to think of beauty in terms of something lovely that evokes a feeling of pleasure within us. However, God wants us to place more value on what’s in a person’s heart than we do on outward beauty and superficial things as you stated in your post (1 Peter 3:3-4).

    God’s Word says something interesting to women, “Let not your adornment be merely external, but let it be the hidden person of the heart.” Thus, His Eternal Word is reminding every woman that outward beauty is temporal, but inner beauty from godly character and spirit is imperishable, and delights the heart of God. Some time ago I read a Quaker woman’s recipe for beauty was this:

    “Use for the lips, truth; for the voice, prayer; for the eyes, pity; for the hands, charity; for the figure, uprightness, and for the heart, love.”

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    • Hi Mikey, so much words of wisdom here, it could be a post of its own! I totally agree with everything you said and absolutely love the quote in the end. God’s definition of beauty is so different from the world’s. It’s so important to be beautiful on the inside because it will (in the end) make us beautiful on the outside as well. Be blessed!

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  13. I also wanted to state it’s great to see posts like this because even in Christian circles women are judged by their looks. We are like objects put on display to be objectified, admired, or critiqued. We are described by our physical attributes which for some we can’t change. A woman’s worth is not from what’s external. Or whether she’s married or has kids. Hoping one day we will look at people through the eyes of Jesus. He looks at the heart.

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    • So true Erin. We can’t change how society perceives women in a day but we can play a role in teaching young girls about real beauty and helping them understand that their worth comes from Jesus, not from from external things. It really would be amazing if we could all learn to be like Jesus and look at each other’s hearts and character rather than outside appearance. We would have a lot less insecurity and health + body issues in this world.

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  15. LOVED this post. Thanks so much! I reblogged this on my blog with this comment: “This post is beautiful! Some amazing thoughts about beauty and what’s really important: your character and NOT your outward appearance.”

    Again, thank you for summing up my thoughts on this subject. You said it way better than I could have! 🙂

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    • Thanks Megan! I’m sure every single girl has plenty of stuff she could say about beauty and outward appearance. It’s so prevalent in our culture and in every day life. You should write a post about it. I’d love to read it!:) Be blessed!

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