The Eye of the Beholder
"Beauty is bought by judgment of the eye." -Shakespeare 1588
"Beauty, like supreme dominion is but supported by opinion." -Benjamin Franklin 1741
"Beauty in things exists merely in the mind which contemplates them." -David Humes Essays, Moral and Political, 1742
"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder" as we quote it today is a line from the book Molly Bawn written by Margaret Wolf Hungerford in 1878. The same sentiment expressed throughout history in these quotes is this - beauty is a matter of opinion.
I remember when my first child was born I thought he was the most beautiful child, so you can imagine my utter surprise when one of my sisters-in-law came by and saw him and said, "oh look, now he is getting cute." In my mind I thought, "Getting? What do you mean getting? He has always been very cute!" She had her opinion and I had mine - to me he was always beautiful and to her he was now getting cute (at least she had the good sense to know that he was cute, right?). The fact is that beauty really is determined by the one that is looking, and is subject to each person's opinion.
As a wife the opinion that matters most to me is that of my husband's. I want to be beautiful in his eyes - so I try to dress to impress him, I fix my hair in ways that he finds attractive, and so on. To be honest though I would probably put up a fuss about it if he had ridiculous ideas (like if he wanted me to wear my hair the same way I did in the 80's, or if he had strange ideas about having me wear totally outdated fashions) - thankfully he appreciates my choices, but he will let me know if I choose something that he doesn't like and when that happens I respect his opinion and get rid of what he doesn't like.
As a Christian the only opinion that matters is God's. I want to be beautiful to my Lord. I believe that holiness before the Lord is what He finds beautiful. There are five verses in the Bible that teach us that truth and within them I find also a recipe for holiness.
A Recipe for Holiness
1. Give glory to God. "Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come before him: worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness." I Chronicles 16:29
2. Praise the Lord. "And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the LORD, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the LORD; for his mercy endureth for ever." II Chronicles 20:21
3. Worship the Lord. "Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness." Psalm 29:2
4. Fear the Lord. "O worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness: fear before him, all the earth." Psalm 96:9
5. Be willing to do what God wants you to do. "Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth." Psalm 110:3
I am thankful that I can be beautiful to the Lord in spite of my looks. I am thankful that I can be beautiful to the Lord though I have sinned because of the forgiveness I have received through His blood according to the riches of his grace. It is my prayer today that I may be found beautiful in the Eyes of my Beholder.
"The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good." Proverbs 15:3
"Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy." I Peter 1:16
Have a wonderful day!
"Beauty, like supreme dominion is but supported by opinion." -Benjamin Franklin 1741
"Beauty in things exists merely in the mind which contemplates them." -David Humes Essays, Moral and Political, 1742
"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder" as we quote it today is a line from the book Molly Bawn written by Margaret Wolf Hungerford in 1878. The same sentiment expressed throughout history in these quotes is this - beauty is a matter of opinion.
I remember when my first child was born I thought he was the most beautiful child, so you can imagine my utter surprise when one of my sisters-in-law came by and saw him and said, "oh look, now he is getting cute." In my mind I thought, "Getting? What do you mean getting? He has always been very cute!" She had her opinion and I had mine - to me he was always beautiful and to her he was now getting cute (at least she had the good sense to know that he was cute, right?). The fact is that beauty really is determined by the one that is looking, and is subject to each person's opinion.
As a wife the opinion that matters most to me is that of my husband's. I want to be beautiful in his eyes - so I try to dress to impress him, I fix my hair in ways that he finds attractive, and so on. To be honest though I would probably put up a fuss about it if he had ridiculous ideas (like if he wanted me to wear my hair the same way I did in the 80's, or if he had strange ideas about having me wear totally outdated fashions) - thankfully he appreciates my choices, but he will let me know if I choose something that he doesn't like and when that happens I respect his opinion and get rid of what he doesn't like.
As a Christian the only opinion that matters is God's. I want to be beautiful to my Lord. I believe that holiness before the Lord is what He finds beautiful. There are five verses in the Bible that teach us that truth and within them I find also a recipe for holiness.
A Recipe for Holiness
1. Give glory to God. "Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come before him: worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness." I Chronicles 16:29
2. Praise the Lord. "And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the LORD, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the LORD; for his mercy endureth for ever." II Chronicles 20:21
3. Worship the Lord. "Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness." Psalm 29:2
4. Fear the Lord. "O worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness: fear before him, all the earth." Psalm 96:9
5. Be willing to do what God wants you to do. "Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth." Psalm 110:3
I am thankful that I can be beautiful to the Lord in spite of my looks. I am thankful that I can be beautiful to the Lord though I have sinned because of the forgiveness I have received through His blood according to the riches of his grace. It is my prayer today that I may be found beautiful in the Eyes of my Beholder.
"The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good." Proverbs 15:3
"Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy." I Peter 1:16
Have a wonderful day!
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