Where Is Beauty?

As Americans, we live in a country immersed in narcissism, greed, and lust. Television, magazines, internet, music, billboards, and movie screens all agree that beauty is found in the skin. The American media portrays the perfect person to be skinny, muscular, attractive, and sexy. But is this really what beauty is? To find the answer, we must turn to the Truth and ask Him. In 1 Samuel 16, Samuel the judge was searching for Israel’s new king. With the Lord’s guidance, he went to the house of Jesse. It says, “When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, ‘Surely the LORD’s anointed stands here before the LORD.’ But the LORD said to Samuel, ‘Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.’” As we all know, Samuel anointed David as king, and David went on to become “a man after God’s own heart.” David had true beauty because his beauty was found within.


The book of Proverbs states that women who were beautiful inside were to be valued more. In chapter 31, verse 30, the writer declares, “Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.” Even if a woman was outwardly unattractive, as long as she feared the Lord and devoted her entire life to God, she was more praiseworthy and worth loving. A very wise person once said, “You don't love a woman because she is beautiful, but she is beautiful because you love her.”

Even Jesus, the Son of God, Savior of mankind, Creator of the universe, was not outwardly beautiful. In Isaiah chapter 53, the prophet Isaiah foretold, “He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him Perhaps you have heard of David Crowder Band. The lead singer, David Crowder, has a reputation for being a magnificent wordsmith and wonderful orchestrator of worship. He is one of the most likeable and well-known individuals in the Christian music industry. Have you ever seen him? He is notorious for being very unappealing on the outside. But does this change who he is? No. He is who he is because his beauty is found within.

As humans, we have the penchant to believe false perceptions. God knew this about us, and warned us when he came in the form of Jesus. John 7:24 quotes Jesus to say, “’Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly.’” Outward beauty changes and evolves through time. It is unreliable. You cannot marry someone simply because they look good, because eventually, old age will snatch their beauty away. We must love people for who they are on the inside. Otherwise, it is impossible to truly love them. If what you see with the eye doesn’t please you, then close your eyes and see with the heart, because the heart can see beauty and love more than the eyes can ever wonder. True beauty is found within.