5 Scriptures to Help Us View Beauty the Way God Does
- Jennifer Heeren Crosswalk.com Contributing Writer
- Updated Apr 01, 2022
The world has a lot to say about beauty. Full, rich, shiny hair. Flawless skin. Perfectly applied makeup. A thin body that’s not too fat or too skinny. It seems that everything must be just right or else you have more work to do before you might be considered beautiful. Beauty always seems to be a rung above you on the ladder.
Just as the heavens and skies display God’s glory, you can too, because you are also a result of God’s craftsmanship (Psalm 19:1). For He created your inmost being and knit you together in your mother’s womb (Psalm 139:13).
God seems to have a different view of beauty than the world. Let’s look to his Word for some Bible verses about beauty to see through God’s lens.
5 Uplifting Bible Verses about Beauty
The Lord told the prophet, Samuel, not to judge by appearance or height. He also said that He doesn’t see things the way people see them (1 Samuel 16:7). People often judge by outward appearance whereas God looks at the heart. He is much more concerned with your character than your height, weight, hair, or face.
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.”
Too much emphasis on outer beauty fills us with vain pride and pride isn’t beautiful on anyone. Lucifer was cast out of heaven because he was captivated by his own good looks and sought to bring glory to himself (Ezekiel 28:17).
I am going to bring foreigners against you, the most ruthless of nations; they will draw their swords against your beauty and wisdom and pierce your shining splendor.
Even when you feel you reach one of the many beauty standards, it won’t last because people’s outward beauty is like a flower in the field—one day bright and shiny and another withering and fading away (1 Peter 1:24).
For, “All people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall,
But there is another kind of beauty that grows and blossoms with age—the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit that is learning to trust God more and more. Trusting in and obeying God is a vital step toward gaining true beauty. 1 Peter 3:3-5 tells us not to be concerned about the outward beauty of fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry, or beautiful clothes. Our beauty should come from within. This is the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious to God. This is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to adorn themselves.
Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.
We typically see the most outer beauty in our youth but in the same way that flowers fade with the season so does our youthful glow. But as we work on our character and our inner beauty, a new and better glow appears. The glow of confidence that comes with wisdom and the fear of the Lord. So, we need not fear or give up when we see our bodies aging and changing. Our body may be dying but our spirit is being renewed day by day (2 Corinthians 4:16).
Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.
7 Ways to View Beauty the Way God Does
In addition to the Bible verses about beauty that help us understand God’s perspective, here are 7 things that make us beautiful in the Lord’s sight:
1. Putting on the righteousness of Christ and learning to be like Him more and more as the days go on. When we are in Christ, the Father doesn’t see us as we were. He sees His dearly beloved Son in us.
2. Speaking kind words to others. A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver and like honey they bring sweetness to the soul. Nice and encouraging words to others decorate us with beauty.
3. Speaking the truth of the gospel also makes us beautiful. Even the feet of messengers who bring good news are beautiful (Romans 10:15).
4. Fixing our thoughts on good things. The more we meditate on things that are true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and worthy of praise (Philippians 4:8), the more we will shine with God’s light, love, and peace.
5. Calming and quieting ourselves by trusting in the Lord, His ways, and His plan for your life. The more trust in the Lord that we possess, the more beauty is generated in our hearts, minds, and even in our faces.
6. Cultivating the fruit of the Spirit into your life. Living your life with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control will bring out that sought-after radiant glow. Even though it begins on the inside, the outside can’t help but absorb some of it.
7. Helping others whenever you can. The Florence Nightingale effect is a real phenomenon that can make patients fall for their caregivers. In the same way, people in need will see their helpers in a beautiful light.
A Prayer to See Real Beauty All Around Us Everyday
Dear Lord, thank You for initially creating me in a complex and beautiful way. Everything You create and how You created it is on purpose. This includes me. I tend to look at other people and see what I lack. Give me discernment to realize that those people also have moments of looking outward and feeling like they don’t measure up. We are all insecure in some way. It’s inevitable in a fallen world that sees youth and outer beauty as the epitome. But when I seek to be more like You and live by Your ways, I see the glory and wisdom of inner beauty that grows, not diminishes, with age. Help me to see others around me in the same way you see them—with love and potential. Help me to memorize Bible verses about beauty to hold in my own heart and share with others. Every person I see was created in Your image. You don’t give up on them because they seem like they are beyond help. I shouldn’t either. You continue to seek after them. Help me to delight more and more in You so that I can seek to go beyond my initial impression of another person. Then I will see people as you see them, and Your radiance will show beautifully on my face. When I remember that redemption is a beautiful thing, even my feet will be beautiful because I will be a messenger of Your good news and hope. Amen.
A Beautiful Conclusion
Always remember that charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last, but fearing the Lord brings great reward and praise from God (Proverbs 31:30). The world’s views and opinions seek to bring you down because you can never measure up to their impossible standards. But when you come to God for redemption, He gives you a crown of beauty for your ashes and despair (Isaiah 61:3). He always seeks to lift you up from the mire and the mud (Psalm 40:2). God created you just as He saw fit and His workmanship is wonderful and complete, no matter what you see in the mirror. When you are in Christ, God looks at you as His beloved and beautiful child.
The way to build on God’s marvelous initial creation of you is to be full of love that comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and genuine faith (1 Timothy 1:5). Those who look to the Lord for help are radiant with joy and shame is absent from their faces (Psalm 34:5). And radiance is the goal of any outside beauty regimen. Delighting in Christ’s perfection takes away the need to seek our own perceived perfection.
The peace of Christ is a beautiful thing!
Photo Credit: © Getty Images/jacoblund
