What makes a person truly beautiful? The answer is easily lost in a world saturated with superficial standards and fleeting trends. While culture intentionally points to outward appearance, physical features and material presentation, as believers, we are called to look beyond mirrors and media and turn instead to hear what God says about true beauty. Scripture tells us exactly the opposite of what the world says.
“Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.” Proverbs 31:30
Last summer, I traveled to visit my parents, who had recently moved back to my hometown, Xi’an. It had been many years since I last set foot there, and the city had transformed in countless ways. One afternoon, as my parents and I were out for a stroll, we were approached by an elderly woman with a warm, familiar presence.
My mom smiled and said, “Mrs. Tang, do you remember my daughter? She was just a little girl when we were neighbors.”
In that moment, it struck me—this gentle woman was the kind-hearted grandmother who used to live next door, always greeting us with a smile. Amazingly, she hadn’t changed at all.
A vivid memory came rushing back: I had been walking past her front yard one day when she called me over and asked if I could read her a book. But this book was unlike any I’d seen before—it had no cover, and the pages were filled with handwritten words. She gently opened it to a page titled “The Gospel of John.”
I began reading, a bit awkwardly: “In the beginning was the Word…”
The phrase made little sense to me at the time. I paused and glanced up at her, puzzled—and then I saw it. Her face. It seemed to glow with a quiet radiance, almost otherworldly. I never forgot that moment. And many years later, when I encountered Jesus for myself, I finally understood what I had witnessed that day.
True beauty is not about what one looks like, but about who one is in relationship with God. It is spiritual, not superficial. It is found in a heart that reflects God’s love, a mind that is renewed by His truth, and a life that seeks to glorify Him. The world may overlook such beauty, but in God’s eyes, it is precious. This “unfading beauty” does not age or diminish, but grows stronger and more radiant with a life lived in alignment with God’s will.
“I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” Psalm 139:14
Truly beautiful people are ones who recognize their divine origin. They understand the profound truth that each person is a unique masterpiece, purposefully and intricately crafted by the hand of God. When we embrace the reality that we are created by a perfect Creator, we can embrace our worth without the need to conform to the world’s ever- changing standards. This is the beauty that endures, the beauty that God cherishes, and the beauty we are called to pursue.
We want to thank Yanna Elliot for sharing this post.
Women's Ministry 