For the last four months, we’ve been hearing from some fabulous blogger wives who have weighed in on feeling beautiful. Not just knowing logically that God made us to be beautiful, but embracing our own unique beauty.
But it’s Christmas Eve, and for those who celebrate Christmas, the coming of Jesus is forefront on our minds. Isaiah 53 is one of the clearest Old Testament prophecies about the coming Messiah. Early on, it has this to say about Jesus Christ:
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
I’ve been thinking a lot about this verse and what it means for our sense of beauty. Because what I take away is there was no physical reason for anyone to be attracted to Christ. Unlike his the first of his earthly royal line, King David, we have no indication in scripture that Jesus’ appearance was even worth mentioning.
Yet people were drawn to him. Disciples left their homes for him. Followers were persecuted for him. Missionaries endured torture for him. Christians throughout centuries have looked upon Christ and seen a beauty unlike any other — and they have sacrificed their lives in so many ways for him.
Something deeper and more eternal about Jesus left its imprint.
I think you have something deeper and more eternal about you as well — something your husband is drawn to that goes beyond your physical beauty.
While I believe that we should take care of our bodies, expend some effort on our appearance, believe in our beauty, and work on our attitude of self-confidence, when it comes down to it, my husband doesn’t love me because I’m beautiful. He appreciates my beauty, but he’s most attracted to me when I reflect Jesus Christ’s beauty, when I am the woman God created me to be.
And we all display God’s beauty as His creation. When we lean into our deeper beauty, we become even more attractive. Never discount your beauty — regardless of what you look like. You are God’s beloved masterpiece.
And look for that beauty in others. Let’s even rethink how we define beauty. I came across a story by CBS News about a fashion photographer helping us rethink beauty. Please go check out the video at this link: Photographer proving true beauty lives outside magazine spreads. (I originally embedded the video here, but it’s no longer available on YouTube.) Below is the photographer’s TED Talk, if you want to watch how he sees beauty and hopes we will too.
Don’t tell me those people aren’t absolutely beautiful. To me, they are God’s gorgeous children.
I don’t care what you look like, you have beauty given to by the Creator. You are the daughter of the King of Kings, beautiful wife. Live into your beauty, and let your husband appreciate both your outside appearance and your inner loveliness.
In this season we celebrate Christ, let’s learn to reflect His beauty.
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Note: I will be on hiatus for the next week, spending time with my family. See you in 2016!
Thank you for this post and for all your work this year! A blessed Christmas to you and yours –
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year
Wow. Powerful post. Merry Christmas!
Love it! This is the best way to end this series, J. Merry Christmas! ?
Ah, thank you! Blessings, Debi. And may your wonderful ministry continue to thrive.
Great post J, and a great take on what “beautiful” really means. Everyone is beautiful in their own way.
Thank you!
When we reflect His beauty, it brings glory to Him, one of our main goals. I also mention this because I tend toward self-centeredness, so I want to see the whole picture. Thanks again for the great series on beauty.
another J
J, My attitude about my minister husband was secretly (from anyone else) rocky and bitter the whole time we had children at home. But he always showed me love even when he hurt. I felt like we were two different families–him, and the kids and I. He had “his people”, who always seemed to come before us. I went back and forth between including him in our family and treating him like a boarder. We had no intimacy at all. But he always showed me whatever love I’d let him even though he hurt. Our three good, independent children moved out in quick succession (because, said my husband, we’d raised them to live without us, like we were supposed to)–they were my whole life–I thought I’d go into fetal position and just die. But then a miracle happened. First, I’m certain I had a praying husband. Also, I found your blog and the blogs you like. First, our love began to blossom again when I realized he was the only one I had left to take care of; I began to pour into him what I’d been pouring into my kiddos. Then, after reading several of you saying it, I understood that I was beautiful to him despite my 25 extra years and pounds. I trusted you, and I trusted him enough to bare my soul and myself. Because of God’s faithfulness, my husband’s faithfulness, and your words of wisdom based on God’s, this is by far the happiest our marriage has ever been, and our intimacy level … is at a higher level even than when we were newlyweds. 😉 He said, “Whoever convinced you that you’re so beautiful to me, I wish I could thank them.” So, thank you, not only for your marriage encouragement, but for getting through my thick head that I can completely trust–spiritually, mentally, and physically–the one God gave to me. Now we’re both part of our marriage–and his ministry; “his” people are my people. And we’re sort of inseparable. Thank you. 🙂
Wow. Thank you so much for sharing your story. Let’s all thank God for making us beautiful to the ones we love.