As I prepared for Mother’s Day—church and lunch with my son—I thought about what I should wear and whether or not to wear makeup, knowing eventually there would be a picture taken of me. This reminded me of the lengths of preparation for last weekend’s competition stage and my ongoing belief that I am not photogenic. That gave me the concept for this blog as the Holy Spirit nudged me away from my vanity.

If beauty is in the eye of the beholder, what does God see as beautiful? Let’s take a look.

Why worry about clothes? Look how the wild flowers grow. They don’t work hard to make their clothes. But I tell you that Solomon with all his wealth wasn’t as well clothed as one of them. God gives such beauty to everything that grows in the fields, even though it is here today and thrown into a fire tomorrow. God will surely do even more for you! Why do you have such little faith?‬‬

Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭28‬-‭30‬ ‭CEV

That’s exactly what I was doing, worrying about what to wear. It isn’t that God doesn’t appreciate beauty—just look at the beautiful flowers you got for Mother’s Day or the ones you planted in your yard—it’s more that he’s asking if you trust him to take care of you. Where is your focus?

Don’t be concerned about the outward beauty of fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry, or beautiful clothes. You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God.‬‬

1 Peter‬ ‭3‬:‭3‬-‭4‬ ‭NLT

This scripture is directed at wives, specifically wives with unbelieving husbands. Peter is saying that the attraction of your spirit has greater weight than superficial beauty. He points out that God values inner beauty.

Here’s another verse saying the same thing.

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”‬‬

1 Samuel‬ ‭16‬:‭7‬ ‭ESV

This verse brings in the men. It’s not just women who get caught up in physical appearance. God sees if our heart is beautiful or ugly. So what makes a beautiful heart in God’s eyes?

You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise.‬‬

Psalms‬ ‭51‬:‭16‬-‭17‬ ‭NIV

Sacrifices we’re made for the forgiveness and cleansing of sin, but the sacrifice had no meaning if the heart wasn’t involved. God is looking for the beautiful heart of someone seeking him for restoration.

It’s not all about humility and brokenness. We are agents of God. It is beautiful to him when he sees us standing up for the things that are important to him.

Learn what it means to do what is good by seeking righteousness and justice! Rescue the oppressed. Uphold the rights of the fatherless and defend the widow’s cause.

Isaiah‬ ‭1‬:‭17‬‬ ‭TPT‬‬

This next scripture is female specific.

Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come. She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.‬‬

Proverbs‬ ‭31‬:‭25‬-‭26‬ ‭ESV

Though the verse was describing the perfect wife it is no less beautiful for all to have the characteristics of strength, dignity, wisdom, and kindness because these are all reflections of God’s character.

How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, “Your God reigns!”

Isaiah‬ ‭52‬:‭7‬ ‭NIV‬‬

I always want to giggle at this picture of beautiful feet, but it isn’t literal feet but metaphorical feet. Just like in the passage on the armor of God describing shoes of the Gospel of Peace (see Ephesians 6:15). It is our readiness to share the salvation message that is beautiful to God.

For God, who said, “Let brilliant light shine out of darkness,” is the one who has cascaded his light into us—the brilliant dawning light of the glorious knowledge of God as we gaze into the face of Jesus Christ.

We are like common clay jars that carry this glorious treasure within, so that this immeasurable power will be seen as God’s, not ours.

2 Corinthians‬ ‭4‬:‭6‬-‭7‬ ‭TPT‬‬

God sees beauty when we take a backseat and allow his glory to be seen through us.

Because we are his creation, God sees beauty in us.

Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good! And evening passed and morning came, marking the sixth day.‬‬

Genesis‬ ‭1‬:‭31‬ ‭NLT

And God sees beauty in us when we recognize the beautiful work we are.

I thank you because I am awesomely made, wonderfully; your works are wonders — I know this very well.

Tehillim (Psa)‬ ‭139‬:‭14‬ ‭CJB‬‬

And if we don’t yet see ourselves as beautiful, God knows one day we will.

Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.‬‬

Ecclesiastes‬ ‭3‬:‭11‬ ‭NLT

So the next time you look in a mirror and only see what’s staring back at you, consider all this.

And we all, with unveiled face, continually seeing as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are progressively being transformed into His image from [one degree of] glory to [even more] glory, which comes from the Lord, [who is] the Spirit.‬‬

2 Corinthians‬ ‭3‬:‭18‬ ‭AMP

When God abides in you, he sees ever increasing beauty in your transformation from glory to glory.

Grace & Peace,

Sandy

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