Skin Deep

“For he who sees beauty only skin deep suffers from a blindness that only our Creator can heal.” ~Yours Truly 

“He who views beauty on the surface is blind to what is real, true and meaningful.” ~Yours Truly

It’s perfectly fun, fine and dandy to doll yourself up. Who doesn’t want to be presentable to the eyes of the people they pass throughout the day? Some like to doll up more than others, but to each his/her own. All it’s doing is enhancing your attributes so that you glow a little brighter, right?

It’s nice to feel beautiful... but do you ever find yourself just not completely satisfied, even after all your dolling up? Soak in what you are about to read, because it may just change your insecurities into complete confidence, dolled up or not.

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You know how grown-ups stop and tell parent’s how beautiful their little girl is? Well ever since I can remember (even at the age of 2 or 3), whenever my mother was told this, or even if I was told directly, my mother ALWAYS reminded me where beauty is. Time and time, over and over, while growing up, my mother would say “Where does beauty come from?” And I was to say “the heart”. Today, I am more than thankful to have had this concept instilled in me. I may not have known exactly what it meant when I was little bitty, but I began to know it at a young age and have grown up to never forget it.

"...For the Lord sees not as man sees. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." -1 Samuel 16:7

It’s MORE than easy to get wrapped up in what our “world” perceives as beauty, but it’s so important to not! True, authentic beauty starts in the heart and spreads throughout. What I mean by this is when our Heavenly Father lives in your heart, He fills it with life-touching traits that are to be used to show others His beauty. God is nothing but pure beauty. He is perfect. He is love. Speaking of love, love is probably the most beautiful thing to exist, at least the type of love that God teaches us to have. 

“And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” -1 Corinthians 13:13

See when God is in your heart, he fills your heart with love. He expects you to show and share that love.

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.” -Mark 12: 30-31

What is love?

“Love is patient, live is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always perseveres.” -1 Corinthians 13: 4-7

"Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience." -Collosians 3:12

All these attributes of love describe a truly beautiful person. 

Some of the most popular words a person wants to her is “You are just as beautiful inside as you are on the out”. We all know that for someone to see the beauty inside of us is the greatest compliment we could ever receive. It’s such an amazing feeling to be recognized for the person you truly are, not just your outer shell. It’s important though, if you hear these words, to give praise and thanks to the Lord for allowing Him to live in you and shine through you. Self-gratification is a hard thing to bury, but it can be done if your goal in life is to live for Him and not yourself.

"I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." -Galations 2:20

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So, how can one become truly beautiful and always feel beautiful, you ask? Well, that’s easy. You must invite our one and only Lord and Savior into your heart, if you haven’t already. If you have, you may just need to redirect your focus on Him and ask Him to help you tweak some things on the inside, and help you to start seeing yourself and others through His eyes and not the world's. 

Once you decide to transform your heart, a divine makeover will happen that only He, the Master, is capable of. Once He starts to reign over your heart and your life, you will naturally start to possess the characteristics that make you a beautiful person (the ones we talked about earlier). You will then be able to see yourself the way God sees you - as His already perfectly-made creation with an incredible heart that loves Him and loves people.

"I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well." -Psalm 139:14

You can be confident in the true beauty you possess. You no longer feel the need to compare yourself to what the “world” sees as compelling or beautiful. You no longer see just your outer layer when you look in the mirror, but you see the inner. You know who you are, you know who God wants you to be, and you are confident in His plans for your life. You know you are fearfully and wonderfully made. 

Acknowledging what beauty truly is and letting God turn you into who He wants you to be gives you a risen confidence that no longer allows you to compare yourself in an only skin-deep way.

"Those who look to Him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame." -Psalm 34:5

For those of us who have given our whole heart to Jesus, we shall let our confidence exude! Through our smiles, our words, and our actions, real beauty will be seen! Let us walk like Jesus, being confident in who we are, yet humble enough to show His love.

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On a side note, those who cannot see what is so special inside of you are still blind to the Light, but keep on shining, because they will eventually see, and you may perhaps be the beautiful light that led their hearts in the direction of the path of divine healing and reconstruction. 

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If you have a genuine desire for a spiritual makeover, say a little prayer to our Master Designer and He’ll be happy to start right away :)

"Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day." -2 Corinthians 4:16

I hope you found this little note encouraging! Have a great day today and even better day tomorrow!

~Lindsey Gray

Listen to this awesome song!

"More Beautiful You" -Jonny Diaz