Thoughts on… {Beauty}

| Allison

Imagine I give you a gift. It’s huge and beautifully wrapped in your favorite color of wrapping paper and topped with a perfect bow. It promises to be wonderful, but when you shred the paper and tear open the box, there is nothing inside. The box is empty.

DSC_0873 (1280x853)

Beauty is our wrapping paper. It can make a good present even better and add to our enjoyment, but beautiful wrapping paper alone is not worth anything.

DSC_0874 (1280x853)

Sadly, our culture seems to focus on our wrapping paper almost to the exclusion of the gift inside. The world whispers that if you are beautiful, everyone will love you, you will feel great, and life will be perfect.

DSC_0876 (1280x853)

And that’s certainly a handy way to get people to buy makeup, skin products, hair products, brand name clothes, and all the other things that the world says you simply must have in order to be beautiful.

DSC_0890 (1280x853)

But that is a lie. You do not need to have the perfect face or figure or clothes to be happy, hard as that might be to believe. Your Creator made you beautiful from the first, and He is the only one who will bring you ultimate joy.

DSC_0891 (1280x853)

My dear, you are beautiful even when you skip your makeup. Each and every one of us, boy or girl, man or woman, is beautiful because we are made in God’s image, and God is Beauty itself.

DSC_0893 (1280x853)

Here’s another story. A boy was born blind. Eventually he grew into a man and fell in love with a woman who was always kind to him. Though he could not see her face, he felt her heart, and she was beautiful to him.

DSC_0865 (1280x853)

One day, after they were married, the man was given a chance to get his vision back with a surgery. The surgery was successful, and at last the man could see! Everything was so bright and colorful it hurt his eyes. The first person he saw was his wife, who had been waiting for him all throughout the surgery.

DSC_0867 (1280x853)

What would he have thought? He wouldn’t mind if she weighed too much or didn’t have makeup on or didn’t have clear skin. He had only known her for her heart and her actions. He would think her beautiful.

DSC_0894 (1280x853)

Now I’m not saying beauty is a bad thing. In fact, God gave us a beautiful world to live in for our pleasure and his glory. Neither am I saying that you can only be either beautiful or good, because that’s not true. I’m just saying don’t lose the gift for the box. Don’t put so much store in your outward appearance that you don’t take care of your heart.

DSC_0872 (1280x853)

Think about it. What would the world be like if everyone took the time they spent getting the wrapping paper perfect and instead focused it on touching up the gift inside?

verse 1

***Allison***

199 thoughts on “Thoughts on… {Beauty}”

  11. This is the most beautiful thing I’ve read today! I loved the metaphor of the wrapping paper; and this was just lovely. Thank you so much for sharing this! And the flowers are gorgeous. 🙂

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

    1. Thank you so much, Sassafras!
      Yes, I agree! I do wear makeup sometimes, but not very often for that reason. I don’t think makeup is inherently bad, but if you use it all the time you tend to become discontent with your natural face, and yes, start feeling like people will think you’re ugly without makeup.

      Liked by 3 people

      Reply
  35. Pingback: Equestrian Thursdays: The Benefits of Horse Riding | Hooves and Pens

  36. I love how you put this. So simply and clear. What a wonderful reminder to not focus so much on the wrapping paper, but rather what’s inside!! Also wanted to say a thank you for being open about your faith. It’s not always easy to do and it’s something I’m hoping I can express in my blog (I’m new to all this within the last month). Can’t wait to snoop around on your blog and check out what else you’ve written! Beautiful flower pictures as well🌸🌼

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

    1. Aww thank you SO much for your sweet comment! You know, I agree. It IS kind of scary to be open with your faith, but I’m working on it. Thank you again, and I hope you enjoy my blog! 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply
  38. Pingback: Thoughts on… {Beauty} – Three Cats and a Girl

  40. What a wonderful and perfect analogy!! I loved this post, Allison! Thank you for sharing it with us ❤ And your pictures are beautiful, too.
    Blessings!

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  43. Loved the post, it was so beautifully written and even the pictures of flowers added the good craft to the post. Thanks for sharing it. I believe, Allison you are truly an owner of a good kind heart. Be the same. God bless. Thank you. – Arun Kumar

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply

  44. This is exactly why I think “beauty” is not just being “pretty”. If someone is pleasing to the eye personally I think it should be called “pretty” instead of calling them “beautiful” ..Because “being beautiful” is something that comes from deep within. It is not something that we can just attain by putting on makeup everyday. That is exactly why “being beautiful” is so important to me. At least that’s just my personal opinion on beauty. Nicely written piece of work by the way. 🙂

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

  45. This is so true! Thank you for writing this – it made me smile 😀 it is a great reminder that God made us, meaning we are already beautiful and that it is what’s on the inside that matters. I love makeup, but I know that appearance isn’t the most important thing – our heart ❤ and how we treat others is 😀

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  47. I cannot stop stressing enough on the fact that out outer appearance isn’t important. You said it flawlessly in your post! I wrote a similar post, i’m just starting. I would really love if you could give me some feedback!

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
  48. Pingback: Lifestyle Wednesdays: The Sad Truth | Hooves and Pens

Leave a comment