Altogether Beautiful
“You are altogether beautiful, my darling; there is no flaw in you.” Song of Solomon 4:7
You are beautiful. Did you know that?
If you’re anything like me, you might have just cringed at that compliment. Almost every single time someone compliments my beauty, I feel the pull to downplay the compliment or brush it off. In a world that idolizes the “perfect” body, hair, and wardrobe, how can I, a normal, average woman, ever measure up?
God has been tugging at my heart recently about how often I reject the truth that I am beautiful because I’m too busy wishing I was different. I know by now that I’ll never wear the same size I did in high school (good thing too, because that was more than 10 years ago), that makeup is not really my thing, and that with two little ones running around, if I can wash and dry my hair and put on real clothes, I can consider it a win. But even with messy hair, dirty clothes, and no makeup, the truth is I am beautiful. I am beautiful as I am because I look like my Heavenly Father.
Regardless of what culture tells us, we are not beautiful because of the size of our jeans, the way we style our hair, or the clothes we wear. We are beautiful because God’s spirit resides in us, and we are made in his image.
Instead of denying or downplaying the next time someone compliments your beauty, instead just say thank you and quietly in your heart thank God for making you how he’s made you. The way you are, right now, is good and lovely and good enough.
God has given you your body to play and run and laugh and eat and love, not to poke and prod and criticize. It’s time we quiet the other voices that scream that we are not enough, and instead turn to the true source of love, joy, and contentment: the voice of Jesus. Songs of Solomon 4:7 reminds us that we are altogether (completely and totally) beautiful. There is no flaw in us because we are made in the image of God.
Celebrate the gift of your beauty today and rest in the goodness of God’s love.