The question is, “Does God mention beauty in the Bible?”
We are going to dig deep on this question, a question I have asked myself so many times as a growing Christian.
When I was younger the struggle of wanting to fit in was always there. I loved everything beauty and fashion.
Not to say that I was always a girly-girl, because I was very much an athlete also. As a teenager, I was not allowed to read some of the magazines from the store because of the sex stories and other things. So, when I married Dan and knew that we would be working with teenagers, I told him that some day I would love to start a Christian women’s magazine.
I love to be encouraged by other women through Scripture, beauty, family, and home inspiration, which has also led me to be an avid studier of beauty in the Bible.
So, when I began this website I knew it was perfect timing in my life. I had a difficult previous few years, not just for me personally, but sympathizing with those closest to me who I knew was dealing with tough battles. God gave me this verse, “I will open rivers in high places, and fountains in the midst of the valleys: I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water.” (Isaiah 41:18)
God can take any seemingly “ugly” situation and make something beautiful out of it for His honor and glory. I tell my Sunday girls that everyone will have hardships so I would rather choose to let God make something good out of them instead of becoming bitter.
I think we cannot compare ourselves (whether inward or outward beauty) to anyone else.
I love having role models, but God made each one of us distinctly beautiful. I bet if you were to ask anyone, even someone you think that has it all together, even she would point out something about herself that she didn’t like. We all do, and that is what makes us beautiful to the people who really matter in our lives.
Jesus loved us while we were yetsinners. I thank God that my husband loves the things about me that I do not necessarily like.
When I was pregnant with my first daughter, I begged God to show me how he wanted me to raise her.
God gave me Psalms 45 as my theme for raising daughters. The chapter talks about the king’s daughters. I absolutely fell in love with this chapter. I want to just begin with a verse, and then maybe make a series from this thought. This is one of the reasons why we named our first two daughters, Dianna Gracelyn and Londyn Brook. So here is to studying beauty in the Bible.
“My heart is inditing a good matter: I speak of the things which I have made touching the king: my tongue is the pen of a ready writer. Thou art fairer than the children of men: grace is poured into thy lips: therefore God hath blessed thee for ever.”
Psalms 45:1-2
The psalmist says about this girl that she was the most beautiful!
What was it about her that made her so beautiful? The Bible says that grace was poured into her lips. She simply used her words gracefully.
~Jackie Carr
I can promise that this is not something that comes easy to me. I have had to learn this lesson the hard way many times, I’m afraid. But I realize using our words with wisdom is something God considers very important. You can never take back the things you say, so I have tried to learn to think before I speak, and still mess that up sometimes!
I ask God every day that He will give me words of wisdom and that the law of kindness will be in my mouth. (Proverbs 31:26)
I also ask that the Lord will intercede for me for any words that come out the wrong way. I do not ever want to tear down with my words, but use my words to edify.
This verse is so convicting, “If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is in vain.” James 1:26
Many times I found that constructive criticism is rarely constructive.
Much of the time when people give criticism it’s used to try to tear down the other person, and make themselves appear more righteous.
Before someone gives constructive criticism, they should think, how much time have I invested in this person? How much praise have I given? How much time, energy, and money have I spent on this person? Do they know I truly care?
~Jackie Carr
I know we all have our own busy families, and it’s hard sometimes to show how much that we care.
Although, when we come in contact with people, we can all share a smile and a word of kindness.
Proverbs 14:1 says, “Every wise woman buildeth her house:”
And…
Proverbs 27:21 says, “As the fining pot for silver, and the furnace for gold; so is a man to his praise.”
It’s easier to point out the negatives in others, but it’s wise to use our words to praise others’ positives.
I realize in child training this can be difficult, but we should look for ways to praise because so many times we are consistently in instructing mode.
We have to realize our children are like us. How many things can we learn at once? Maybe we can concentrate on one main thing for that week. One thing my husband and I harp on our children about is not to walk through the flowerbeds.
Last night, my husband and I were out in the yard with the children playing with them, and Dianna says, “Mom, mom did you see me? I walked all the way around to the walkway so that I didn’t walk through the plants!” My heart was so proud! I thought this was so sweet.
This is one principle of beauty in the Bible that I am constantly working on. I would love for you share a comment on some ways you implement this lesson! I love you all and hope you are having a great week!
Love, Jackie
Jackie, you might not know who I am in the congregation at Faith Baptist Church, but I truly am blessed by your beautiful music! Thank you for allowing God to use you in this way. At this time, my husband is in a rehab center, trying to learn how to walk again. He broke his hip and left arm on April 12, and he’s really struggling because he’s left-handed, and his right hand was affected by a stroke he had in January. He has to have help for just about everything, especially eating. One thing the therapists have been working on is teaching him to keep his left leg on the footrest of the wheelchair he sits in for several hours each day. That left foot will slide off if he’s not careful to keep it in the right position. Today, he was able to move it to the left to keep it from falling off the footrest, and that was a huge development for him! I made sure to let him know that I had noticed how hard he was working to make this happen, and he seemed really pleased that I had noticed. This might seem like a really small thing to those who’ve never had these challenges, but believe me when I say that it was HUGE for him! I pray for him several times each day, and I believe that he’ll be able to stand up soon. He’s also learning how to use that left hand, even in a splint, to feed himself. Please remember us in your prayers. I need lots of wisdom when dealing with him, and he needs strength to do the things he used to do with no problem. Thank you for listening to my little saga; I’ll try to keep future comments shorter!
Thank you, Mrs. Glenda, for commenting. I will be sure to keep you and your husband in my prayers. I know this has to be an extremely hard time for you, and I will be praying that the Lord will give you strength. Thank you for reaching out, and I hope you have a blessed day!
Love,
Jackie Carr