At the start of June I cried before the Lord, the tears were streaming as I looked out at the

cloud filled sky and sobbed, “God I am tired of the battle, I am tired of being so discontent
with how I look - there isn’t a single thing about my body that I would not change.”

Maybe you are in that place. Maybe you struggle with your weight, your colouring, your
height, your features - the list is seemingly endless.

And I am sure many of you are familiar with the typical “Christian girl” answer to this issue -
“The outside does not matter, it's the inside that counts”, “Beauty is vanity”, “Appearance is
unimportant”. These short answers, without any how’s or why’s, are supposed to be the
solution to deep rooted insecurities and issues that the majority of women and girls are
victim to.

They don’t work.

Is there any wonder that christian women are buying into the world’s solutions to this issue -
which are just as useless but a tad more promising. I mean “self-love” sounds like a better
idea than ignoring all mirrors, “showing skin” with feigned confidence, “faking it until you
make it”, “Indulging yourself” seem like better alternatives to saying “How I look isn’t
important.”

And I think that’s because deep down every woman knows that beauty is important. Being
physically beautiful is important. And it’s something we all desire to be.

1 Samuel 16:7 “But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the
height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for
man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.”

This is a wonderful verse that shows God’s heart, however I believe that regarding the issue
of body image, while this is a start it is not the complete answer. It is true that to God the
condition of our heart is of the utmost importance, He is not influenced by our appearance or
our external qualities - unlike the society in which we live. However, to use this verse to
suggest that God doesn’t care about physical appearance at all, I believe is missguided and
even damaging, because it is causing women to suppress a part of their natures - part of
being made in God’s image.

Now before you put me in the stocks, while throwing rotten veg and shouting “Heretic!”, I
would ask you to consider the following verses:

Psalm 27:4
One thing I have desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of
the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in His
temple.

Psalm 96:6
Honour and majesty are before Him; strength and beauty are in His sanctuary.

Isaiah 33:17
Thine eyes shall see the king in his beauty: they shall behold the land that is very far off.

Beauty is one of the attributes of God, how then can we say that it is unimportant? If Beauty
is one of God’s attributes, and we are made in His image, is it wrong for us to desire to be
beautiful?

Consider the following verses:

1 Chronicles 3:6
Give unto the LORD the glory due to His name: bring an offering, and come before Him:
worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.

2 Chronicles 20:21
And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the Lord, and that
should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise
the LORD; for His mercy endureth forever.

Job 40:10
Deck thyself now with majesty and excellency; and array thyself with glory and beauty.

Psalm 29:2
Give unto the LORD the glory due unto His name; worship the Lord in the beauty of
holiness.

Psalm 90:17
And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us; and establish thou the work of our
hands upon us; yea the work of our hands establish thou it.

Psalm 96:9
O worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness; fear before Him all the earth.

Not only is beauty an attribute of the LORD, it is an attribute that He desires us to have, in
fact commands us to have. Beauty is something He created, and something He designed us
as humans, women especially, to recognise and value greatly. I believe that appreciating
beauty is a reflection of God’s character. What I believe has been greatly distorted and
twisted by the devil, is the definition and purpose of beauty.

Exodus 28:2
And thou shalt make holy garments for Aaron thy brother for glory and for beauty.

Exodus 18:40
And for Aaron’s sons thou shall make coats, and thou shalt make for them girdles, and
bonnets thou shalt make for them, for glory and for beauty.
The purpose of God creating beauty is to glorify Himself. The reason we desire to be
beautiful is an indication of a deeper desire to be like the Lord.

True beauty causes us to look to the source of beauty and worship Him.

When you look at nature so often we see created things that are physically beautiful - a field
of sunny buttercups, the pattern of a butterfly’s wings, a glorious amber sunset. These sights
fill us with a sense of awe and something else that can’t quite be put into words, they cause
us to worship.

I am aware however that this is not what we feel when we look at ourselves.
When we look at ourselves we think about ourselves, and continue to think about ourselves
and so on with the vicious cycle.

As I cried to the Lord, I asked Him, “Lord if beauty is important to you then why didn’t you
make me beautiful?” And I felt the gentle answer, “I did.”

And as I meditated upon His truths, He showed me two reasons that I do not think I am
beautiful.

Firstly because I had bought into Satan's twisted definition of what being beautiful means.
Satan can’t create, he can only distort, and just like he did with sex, he has taken a good gift
that God intended to bless us with, and warped it into something that harms us.
Here is the world’s definition of feminine beauty:

“For women to want to be me, and for men to want to have me”

It sort of hurts when it’s put so plainly, and yet this is the definition that the majority of women
- christian women - have believed. This is nothing short of pride and vanity. It has taken
beauty, something that was created by God to glorify God, and made it all about “Me, Myself
and I” This is not God’s definition of beauty.

When others look at me I want them to see Jesus, then they will see beauty. It’s not a beauty
that causes people to look at me, it’s a beauty that causes people to worship the Lord. That
involves our physical selves, but also our spiritual selves. We are God’s creation, His
handiwork and He looks at you and me and says “It is very good.”

A study conducted in 2007 found that physical appearance was affected by inner character
traits:

“The study finds that individuals -- both men and women -- who exhibit positive traits, such
as honesty and helpfulness, are perceived as better looking. Those who exhibit negative
traits, such as unfairness and rudeness, appear to be less physically attractive to
observers.”

Is this surprising when we are commanded to “Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness”?
What is holiness?
Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from
everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.
2 Corinthians 7:1

1 Peter 1:16
Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.

Holiness is the opposite of sin, it is to be completely devoid of sin, it is God-like. God is holy.
Interesting then that the inner quality of holiness has an affect on our physical appearance.

The second thing that the Lord showed me regarding this topic was this truth:

“There is a common misconception that the eye is the organ by which we perceive beauty.
This is a lie. The mind is the organ of perceiving beauty, and our minds can be renewed.”

No we cannot change what we see, however the Holy Spirit can change our perception of
what we see.

Romans 12:2
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind,
that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Beauty is important, but only because in its true form is a reflection of who God is - it causes
us to look at Him. It is for this reason, I believe, that Satan is attacking our perception of it so
strongly. Satan always attacks those things which pose the greatest threat.
It is important to remember:

Ephesians 6:12-13
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers,
against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the
evil day, and having done all, to stand.

2 Corinthians 10:4-5
For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down
of strong holds;)
Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge
of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

We need to start to define beauty the way God defines it, and we can do this firstly by
reading His word and what it says regarding this topic, and secondly we need to come to
God in sincere prayer asking Him to change our minds, asking Him to stop the work of the
devil. This is a battle that can be overcome, and great is the victory when we do!

Since praying this prayer regularly and genuinely the Lord has begun to uproot the lies in my
mind. For the frst time ever I see myself as beautiful, and I worship the Lord who made me,
who made you that way. You are physically beautiful because you are exactly hwo the
greatest artist created you to be - He takes great delight in you, He takes great joy in how
you look. He doesn’t make mistakes.

KAREN NOTES

It’s really hard to find an answer when it’s about yourself. When the problem is not about
yourself. Pray that you see beauty how I see beauty. The world defines beauty by

Women want to be me and men want to have me.

We can’t fight every battle at the same time.

The purpose of beauty.

The definition of beauty is to look to Jesus.

Change my perspective of beauty. The Lord renews our minds. Response to beauty.

BEAUTY
 Modesty
 Discretion
 Wisdom
 Beauty
 Elegance
 Refinement
SENSUALITY
 Luxury
 Extravagance
 Sensuality

Who defines beauty? Who do I think defines beauty?

Your feelings don’t make you who you are. Personhood. Coward to your feelings.