Turning Beauty Inside Out

What makes a person beautiful? Our society places an inordinate amount of emphasis on being thin, made up, wearing the “right clothes”, being seen in the “right places”, having the “right breast size”, and the list goes on. What happens to girls and women who subscribe to these societal beliefs? Plastic surgeons profit, the make up industry soars with increased sales, diet pills and diet plans, whether healthful or not increase to phenomenal sales levels. But what happens to the women? Men fall victim to this as well, but for whatever reasons, girls and women are the most susceptible. Depression, eating disorders, self esteem issues abound.

The driving force in a woman’s physical beauty is actually her health, not her breast size or cost of her clothing. Health including both her physical, and emotional health. When a woman is physically healthy, there is an attractive glow about her. When a woman is emotionally healthy, that glow is magnified and radiates for the world to see. There is a light, a spark, an energy that ignites.

A beautiful woman is kind, gentle, thoughtful, unselfish, and patient. Slow to speak so as not to respond in anger when provoked, she takes time to think before responding. She exercises wisdom and good judgment, she is humble, she works to continually learn and better herself and her abilities… Too good to be true? Not at all.

Well, what produces that kind of woman? The same thing that ultimately produces the highest level of emotional health. Thinking that is positive and life enhancing. After all, we are what we think! Actions follow the thoughts in the mind. "For as he thinks in his heart, so is he", Proverbs 23:7. The focus needs to be on thinking that is grounded in solid truth rather than swayed by the emotion of the moment. Where does that kind of thinking come from? Pop psychology, feel good therapy, drugs?

Actually that thinking and that kind of woman comes from a woman who lives her life for GOD first. That doesn’t mean someone who is a bible thumping judgmental hypocrite, that means someone who reads the scriptures and lives each day to the best of her human ability the way GOD intends for her to live. There are two ways a person can walk (figuratively speaking), "in the flesh", or "in the Spirit". When walking "in the flesh" the thoughts are of this world, satisfying whatever it is that is craved for at that moment. When walking "in the spirit"...Isaiah 55:8-9 "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts".

God's thoughts are higher than people’s thoughts. The trick is to aspire to think the way God thinks. "Whatsoever things are true, Whatsoever things are honest, Whatsoever things are just, Whatsoever things are pure, Whatsoever things are lovely, Whatsoever things are of good report: If there be any virtue, And if there be any praise, Think on these things." Philippians 4:8. If you change your thinking, your actions will naturally follow. But it's real effort. It doesn't just happen, you have to MAKE it happen.