What is beauty when the soul is dirty? What is beauty when it is made up of plastic surgery?
What is beauty? Perhaps we have different definitions of beauty but one thing is for sure, that we are all conscious of how we look. It’s not true that only women use a full length mirror. Men also do use it and it’s not something strange. Men would often say that women could not get out of the house without looking in the mirror first. Yes it’s true but it is also true for men. When it comes to beauty, we are one and the same. Beauty is everybody’s concern.
But what is beauty, really? When we speak of beauty, what comes into our mind is our physical looks. There was one lady who said that beauty is the shadow of God in the universe. We humans are the highest form of creation in this world so it is a grave sin to say to someone that he or she is ugly because it is a great insult to God’s power and beauty who is the creator of everything that we see in this beautiful planet. That is why when you look in the mirror, you should say what is written in the Psalms, “Thank God, I am wonderfully made.” St. Augustine said, “Beauty is indeed a good gift of God; but that the good may not think it a great good, God dispenses it even to the wicked.” And according to Confucius, Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it. If you can’t see the definition of beauty in a person’s face, it is not because your definition of beauty is defective but because your eyes are defective. What makes your eyes defective is the pride of life that is why when you see a person, look at the person with love and think that she is a creature of God. When you meet a person whose name is lovely but her looks are not pleasing to your eyes, don’t think negatively and don’t whisper something unpleasant to the person next to you, just say to your guardian angel, if she’s a lovely creature, what do you call me? What I am trying to emphasize here is that we should not be too conscious of how we look and we should not judge people according to their physical appearance.
There are so many beautiful things that have been given to us to protect, from the earth and all its creatures, down to our bodies. To be able to find the confidence in our beauty is something that is within us. All we need to do is believe and never judge. Of course, we should also try to look pleasant for God and for the others so that you will not mortify them but we should be careful also not to fall into the pit of vanity because beauty is more than physical looks. Beauty is more than the dress and shoes you wear, more than the make-up you put in your face and the accessories you use. Women should not be satisfied possessing physical beauty alone because physical beauty is a fading flower. Beauty without virtue is a flower without perfume. Real glamour and beauty is not just mascara, Chanel perfume, Louis Vuitton bag and perfect lip gloss, it’s being a role model- being beautiful on the inside and caring more about others than you do yourself because real beauty is not in the face. So don’t be bothered if someone ask you, “How can you face your problem if your problem is your face?” Beauty is a light in the heart. Imagine that you are joining a beauty pageant and during the final interview, you will be asked, are you beautiful? Of course you will answer quickly and say, “Yes I am indeed beautiful. You don’t need to ask anymore. It is obvious. Isn’t it?” But what if you will be asked, what makes you beautiful? What will you say? “My skin is as white as the snow, my lips is as red as the rose and my cheek is as rosy as Snow White’s.” Of course you will feel ashamed to answer that and instead you will give emphasis on inner beauty in your answer.
Beauty is as beauty does. We're remembered not by how we looked but how we behaved and changed the lives of others. What really makes a person beautiful is what’s inside her heart. There is an old saying, what is beauty when the brain is empty. There is something lacking in this saying. It should be, “what is beauty when the brain is empty and when the soul is dirty.” People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is light from within.”
Love is a great beautifier. Live with love and for love and your beauty will be eternal as love. Always smile because a smile is a perfect accessory and taking joy in living is a woman's best cosmetic. We may not like how our toes look or how much we weigh, or how our hair is thinning or going gray or worse, both! But every movement of our bodies shows how beautifully designed they are. Every gust of wind and scents of flowers reminds us that we are definitely fortunate to be on this planet in the universe. Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything that is beautiful; for beauty is God's handwriting-a wayside sacrament. Welcome it in every fair face, in every fair sky, in every fair flower, and thank God for it as a cup of blessing. Every time you look in the mirror, don’t forget to say, “Thank God, I am wonderfully made.”
