“Beyond skin deep, there’s so much more to see...”

This has been playing on repeat in my head today.

Old lyrics I remembered from a “Zoegirl” soundtrack I listened to when I was growing up. Anyone else remember the early 2000’s Creation NorthEast music days??

Although these lyrics are old, and the music style even older, their message holds true.

We live in a culture that makes it difficult to see beneath the surface… difficult to see into the real lives of other people. We live in an instant (hello, “insta” gram) culture. There is major irony in the “insta” name because most people do not post their pictures instantly.

We edit them. We change them. We alter them. We are not usually being fed “instant” moments, as the name would lead us to believe.

Similar to how we need to look beyond the filter when scrolling through Instagram, we also need to look beyond skin deep when we seek to define beauty.

I would say, “when we seek to define true beauty“, except that this implies there can be such a thing as untrue beauty which I don’t believe is possible. The very nature of beauty is truth. Thus, “true beauty” sounds redundant to me.

Two favorite quotes of mine, that touch on this idea of beauty, come from the “Beauty Queen” herself, Miss Audrey Hepburn:

The beauty in a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure that she carries, or the way she combs her hair. The beauty of a woman is seen in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart; the place where love resides. [Beauty] in a woman is reflected in her soul.

For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others; for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness; and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone.

Honestly, I could not have said it better myself (thus the quote!), and this view coming from a woman who did not, as far as we know, follow our awesome Creator.

We only need to go as far as the Proverbs, in the Bible, to have these findings confirmed by the Lord, Himself:

Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain,
    but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
(Proverbs 31:30 ESV)

In spite of Hepburn’s disconnect in faith, she too implicitly knew what He has woven into all of us:

1. physical attractiveness is nothing if relational beauty is absent
2. authentic relational beauty adds tremendous radiance to one’s attractiveness

I think this is hard for us, as women, to believe.

Just ask any man! 😉

Even so, I thank God for giving me my husband, who daily provides encouragement in this area.

You. Me. We must continue reminding ourselves of what is true and beautiful, so that the “insta filters” of our culture do not seep into our minds, subtly compromising our understanding of beauty.

REAL people are beautiful, friends.

We must not forget this.

We must spend time with them, reminding them that we see them for more than only what they look like on the outside. And that how they look is beautiful because they are kind, compassionate, loving souls.

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What are your thoughts on beauty?
What topics would you like to see addressed in future posts?
Use the contact page or comment below, I treasure your insights!
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Fearfully & Wonderfully,
Tiffany

[Photographs thanks to Sojourn Photos (you can find her on Instagram or at her website).]