The Best Kind of Beauty

Bible Reading: 1 Samuel 16:6-12

“Mom, how can I know if I’m beautiful?” Keira asked as she climbed into their blue minivan.

“What makes you ask that?” her mom questioned.

“At lunch, some of my friends were talking about the girls in our class. They said that Isabelle is so beautiful. Am I beautiful too?”

Keira’s mom turned to look at her. “First of all, I’m guessing your friends were talking about outer beauty. It’s easy to think of beauty only as how a person looks.”

“What other kind of beauty is there?” Keira asked as she twirled her wavy black hair.

“There’s also inner beauty. It’s shown through things like how you treat people and care for others.”

“So, like doing nice things for people?” Keira asked.

“Yes,” Mom answered. “I thought it was beautiful when you gave your allowance to help families in need. Inner beauty is what matters most to God.”

Keira smiled and then caught a glimpse of her reflection in the window. “Mom, do I have outer beauty too?”

“You certainly do, Keira. You are made beautifully in God’s image. The world wants us to think that outer beauty looks only one way, but that’s just not true. Beauty comes in all sizes, shapes, and colors.”

“Was I still beautiful when I fell off my bike and scraped my face? Or how about when I had that goopy pink eye?” Keira asked.

“You were still beautiful, but there are things in this world that aren’t,” Mom said as they pulled into their driveway. “Just like we can get scraped up on the outside, our inner beauty gets scraped up too. When sin came into the world, it left a huge, ugly scar on each of our hearts.”

“I don’t like that,” said Keira.

“Neither does God,” Mom said as she shut the van door. “That’s why He sent Jesus to save us from sin—so He could heal our hearts and make them beautiful. And one day, when He returns, He’ll heal our physical scars too.”

“So, I’m beautiful because of Jesus?” Keira asked.

“Exactly.” Her mom gave her a squeeze. “Being loved by Jesus is the most beautiful thing of all.” • Amanda Jass

How About You?

Do you put more focus on outer appearances instead of what’s on the inside? Our bodies are beautiful gifts from God, but the Bible says that when God looks at us, He sees our hearts. Because of the ugliness of sin, we need Jesus to heal us so our actions can reflect His beauty and love. Always remember that you are wonderfully made by God, and you are beautiful because of Him!

Today’s Key Verse:
1 Samuel 16:7 The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. (NIV)

Today’s Key Thought:

You are beautifully made by God