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I have been reading through a commentary entitled Ecclesiastes and Song of Songs. I just finished Ecclesiastes so guess what I am studying . . . This morning I read Song of Songs 2:1-17 and the commentary section on that passage and the author got into a very deep discussion on the way that many churches act as though beauty is dangerous, something to be avoided (covered or veiled) and maybe beauty is ultimately a set-back or liability. I am tempted to respond by saying, "I can't help it that I'm beautiful . . . don't be a hater!" But I'm just not vain enough to say that out loud . . .
Ironically, to the commentary author's point, an RSS feed for a blog written by Albert Mohler, the President of Southern Seminary in Louisville, KY just scrolled across the bottom of my screen entitled: The Snare of Beauty — Flashpoints of Our Obsession with Attractiveness. So on the one hand I have one scholar extolling beauty as God given and something that shouldn't be seen as a detriment and another scholar extolling the dangers of beauty in our current culture. So which way should it go?
I am convinced that the problem exists when we do not define what we mean by true beauty. To Dr. Mohler's defense, he does an excellent job explaining that true beauty comes through the image of God in us. All of us should find our worth and beauty in our ability to reflect God's creativity, to worship Him with our will, and to have a hand in being His emissaries to the entirety of creation.
Our culture has it's wires crossed when it comes to true beauty. It can't be bought . . . it can't be formed (surgically) . . . it can't be ironed into our flesh with botox. It doesn't consist of products applied to our skin, clothes to adorn our wasting bodies, or well-formed muscles bulging in the right places. True beauty is in the eyes of the beholder . . . and the only one who truly beholds you is God Himself!
Everyone else only has this shell and mask to deal with. You paint your body, you buy certain clothes, you work toward ideal appearance . . . you let people see of your heart only what you decide to show (and in this sense God is the only one who REALLY knows you).
So ultimately we know that true beauty comes from within, but the point of this blog is to take that concept one step deeper. If true beauty is internal, then what can we do to make ourselves more beautiful on the inside? The answer to that is nothing less than the best news in the world!
When God sees us, He sees His own image, but it is a broken image . . . like a mirror that is shattered but the pieces have held together. Our lives are broken by sin and the crud that we allow to rule and reign over us. But Jesus came to restore that image within us. So that the answer to true beauty is Jesus Christ Himself. He has come to pick up the pieces of the mirror and melt them back together to better reflect the image of God through us. Ultimately then, human beauty is a measure of how much we reflect God through the transforming work of Jesus Christ, and that transforming work is available to anyone who would acknowledge Jesus Christ as the rightful Lord over all and ask Him to save them from their sins. The gospel in this sense, is the path to beauty.
Some jokingly accuse those of us who define beauty as internal as self serving, because only ugly people are quick to say beauty is internal . . . but I will thoroughly agree with Creed on this one, "Beautiful is empty!!" Everyone knows someone who is beautiful and their lives are broken into thousands of little fragments . . . I praise God that he willingly takes all kinds of people and heals their brokenness for His glory! |
