God’s Beauty vs Ego Boost

Your natural beauty comes from God. That’s obvious. But what many people forget to consider is that your enhanced beauty—the effort you put forth to make yourself look and feel your best—that comes from God too! Your natural beauty might be highlighted because of the effect you create with your peach blush or your golden eyeshadow. But ultimately, it is through God’s grace and goodness that our little extras make any difference in how we look or feel.

To look our best, we need to have the Holy Spirit in our hearts as we gaze into the mirror. If we are prayerful while we make our efforts, the results are incredible. “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you” (James 4:10 ESV).

There is a choice in your mindset when it comes to preparing yourself to look your best. You can either feed the ego, or you can give glory to God. You can emphasize your good looks to gratify yourself, or you can intentionally cultivate His beauty within you. Do you use the results of your beautification efforts to give yourself an ego boost or to do God’s work? How can you know the difference?

The difference is in the attitude. The results of your daily beauty routine are clear—the goal is to look your best for the day. Your hair and make-up are set, you are dressed, perfumed, and maybe your nails are done. You feel good. But if you find yourself comparing your looks to others or using your looks to gain attention, or if you sometimes seek to receive compliments and praise, then you are merely experiencing a form of ego boost.

On the other hand, if it seems you are glowing and there is a sense of peace within you, and if you feel you are radiating a form of beauty that comes from purity and goodness— that is the result of emphasizing God’s beauty in order to shine His love to others through you. You are ready to do His work, and your beauty is energized for His glory.