God Makes Beautiful People

We live in a world where television shows such as Toddlers & Tiaras and Dance Moms are extremely popular. Before I sound totally judgmental, I readily confess, I’ve never watched Dance Moms (I researched the show on the internet) and I have watched one episode of Toddlers & Tiaras. (A writer does his/her research, right? I figured it was the less offensive of the shows – I’m not 100% sure I chose correctly) you’ve heard the expression, “It was like watching a train wreck? I couldn’t pull my eyes away!” That’s about how I felt. It was shocking and disappointing on a few different levels. Apparently, the child phenom Honey Boo-Boo was a prior beauty queen contestant as well. I purposefully don’t watch (or haven’t viewed) that program either – I’ve seen the commercials – and that was more than sufficient. I would humbly ask Cornerstone Blog readers who live outside of the United States, to not stereotype us by these particular shows! Yet, with that said, these television programs persist as part of our ‘evolving culture’ on two levels - “Reality Star” television, and our obsession on external beauty.

True Story I Found Online ~~ There was a beauty pageant in full swing. The Miss World Pageant. It suddenly grew very still. A hush fell over the huge audience. The pageant’s host had asked the Miss World contenders a unique question.

“Which do you think is more important…beauty or wisdom?” All the ladies were unified in their answer. They collectively agreed that wisdom was the most important.

The host of the Miss World Pageant then asked the ladies a second question. “Which of those two have you spent most of your efforts trying to acquire?”

In the next moment, the audience was inundated with blinding smiles, beautiful pristine teeth, and lip gloss. ALL the ladies stood there – silent. Nobody answered the question. They ALL declined to respond.

I’m not judging beautiful people. God makes people beautiful. I’m suggesting that our greatest spiritual investment isn’t externally based! You’ve probably met an outwardly attractive person who was ugly on the inside; therefore, they were unattractive to you. You’ve encountered the proverbial “wolf in sheep’s clothing?” Often they’re sweet, soft, or religious looking on the outside – but wicked on the inside.

 We spend SO much money on lotions, anti-aging creams, Botox, cosmo-pseuticals and beauty products around the world. “Beauty” is a BILLION dollar industry. Products promoting outer beauty and youth are highly desirable by 70% of Americans! We also spend SO much time at gyms and working out to achieve certain goals. Some for health; some for vanity; some for competiveness. Everyone has their own reason.

But…Let’s take it one step further. How much genuine time do we spend acquiring wisdom from our Heavenly Father?

Let me re-state: There is absolutely nothing wrong with beauty.  I think we should always try to look our best for church services, look nice for our spouses, and keep our bodies in good health! Our best health.  I know I appreciate or enjoy other people’s usage of deodorant and habits of regular bathing. (Hopefully you chuckled at this point) But as with most things, it’s a question of balance.  We should remember the Word of God is wisdom and wisdom is the essence of inner beauty. 

It might be an extreme analogy, but the Word of God is our night cream and our day cream! It’s our SPF when the sun is blistering our skin! The Word is likening to our sneakers during a marathon. (The Scriptures in Psalm 119:105 tells us, “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.”

If we don’t spend time acquiring wisdom – growing in Christ – what ARE we spending most of our time doing?  I think it’s a good idea to be reminded that temporal, external beauty eventually fades.

 We shouldn’t completely neglect the inner beauty which will be our reflection to God.

Look UP my friends!