What is true beauty?

I recently came across a song by Alessia Cara called "Scars to Your Beautiful".  It has a really profound message - take a look at these lyrics.

♫ She just wants to be beautiful

She craves attention, she praises an image

She don't see the light that's shining

Deeper than the eyes can find it

She don't see her perfect, 

She don't understand she's worth it

Or that beauty goes deeper than the surface

But there's a hope that's waiting for you in the dark

You should know you're beautiful just the way you are

And you don't have to change a thing, the world could change its heart

No scars to your beautiful, we're stars and we're beautiful ♫

Let's break those lyrics down for a minute: She just wants to be beautiful. Does that mean she believes she isn't pretty? That she doesn't measure up to the world's standards? How did she get to that point in the first place?  She praises an image. This focuses solely on appearances, not the beauty found within. She don't see the light that shining deeper than the eyes can find it. This line is beautiful. We all have a light within us - the light of Christ - that "glow" that shines as we live in harmony with the gospel. This makes us radiant. You should know you're beautiful just the way you are. What a true statement! The world would tell you that you need more makeup, that you aren't skinny enough, and that you were just born 'ugly'. But that is not true! You are perfect the way you are, sculpted by the sculptor, even our Father in Heaven above. You are beautiful just the way you are.

So. What is true beauty?

Like happiness, beauty begins within and shows on the outside when you feel beautiful on the inside.

Beauty begins by internalizing the words, "I am a daughter of God".  When you believe those words, you

believe you are beautiful because you are a daughter of God.  He created you in His image and loves you

perfectly, even if you're having a bad hair day or can't fit into size two jeans.  His love is unconditional.

You're beauty is simply always there.

Think of a flower.  Does it need attention to grow?  No, it just needs nourishment - sunshine and rain.  Beauty too grows naturally, by nourishing yourself physically and spiritually.  But sometimes we as women don't realize our worth, so we "crave attention", just like the song says.  To help feel more beautiful, we crave attention and approval, and if we don't get it, we wither.  Our thoughts become warped, like this: If boys aren't paying attention to us, we must not be thin enough, or maybe we wore the wrong clothes... or maybe we need to wear less clothes to be noticed... Do you see how detrimental this thought process is?  Those who know they're beautiful don't gauge beauty by appearances and fashion.  They feel beautiful simply because they are a daughter of a King, and they know His approval is the one that matters most.

P.S. A side note on modesty - you can show respect for your body by taking care of it and by dressing in modest clothing.  Please don't wear revealing clothing just to impress a boy.  I can't emphasize enough the importance of respecting our bodies as temples.  Your worth as a daughter of God does not depend on anyone's approval of your outward appearance.  As you dress modestly and care for your body, the Spirit will shine in your countenance, and that light makes you more beautiful than any makeup brand could ever dream of measuring up to!  So embrace that light within and remember your divine worth as a daughter of God.  His approval is the only one that matters, and He loves you just the way you are!

You don't need outside approval to feel beautiful.

Beauty shines outwardly because we are beautiful inside.

You know the scripture that says "God looketh on the heart" (1 Samuel 16:7)?  It's true.  And sometimes we don't emphasize this enough, that when you have a good heart, you are a truly beautiful person.  I believe beauty grows as you exercise charity, the pure love of Christ, and as you strive to be more Christ-like, you become more beautiful.  We are imperfect people, so naturally, we see ourselves (and others) imperfectly a lot of the time.  It's easy to focus on flaws because the media so heavily focuses on fixing our flawed bodies.  But we don't need to listen to that sort of talk!  We can pray to see ourselves and others as God see us - as children of eternal worth.  We can develop this love for ourselves by praying daily for it.

So, what have we learned? 

1. Beauty comes from within.  

2. Beauty is not dependent on outside approval, but God's approval.

3. Beauty is directly related to kindness and a pure heart.

Take a minute to listen to the videos below.  This is David Archuleta, one of my favorite artists.  He talks about beauty as it relates to light, and sings Alessia Cara's "Scars to Your Beautiful".  David tells us to think of beauty as a glow, a light that shines from within.

♥️♥️♥️

So, thank you for reading this post.

Photos from Google Images