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I’ve been there. Until I met Steve — at age 25 — the only man who told me I looked beautiful was my dad. Even though that was a tremendous gift, by the time I reached marrying age, it felt inadequate. I wanted to hear it from a husband. I thought I must be defective to be single and dateless for so much of my 20s. I also felt bad for feeling bad about it.
Now I know better. For starters, there’s nothing wrong or shameful about your desire to be singled out by a man. As women, we long to be the glory of a man; quite literally, his beauty. As you make the most of your features and form, remember your spirit also informs your beauty. Peter wrote that all those externals were secondary to your “inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight” (1 Peter 3:3-5).
This inner beauty comes from resting in God’s provision and trusting Him to be your advocate. It’s the opposite of striving to control.
Beauty is not just a state of being. It’s also doing. God designed you to take delight in being a beauty and to create beauty for the delight of others around you. Every time you create beauty for others, you send the message that they are valuable, worth the price of your effort. It’s this message of value that Mary of Bethany so lavishly sent when she anointed Jesus’ feet with the pure nard (John 12:1-8).
Finally, I asked one of my single, attractive, unattached friends how she thinks about beauty. “‘You’re beautiful’ is something you hear from God,” she said. To know that God sees you as beautiful and worth the costliest gift ever given — His Son — is a powerful antidote to counterfeits. When you draw your self-worth from your Creator, you’re better able to recognize and resist men who would flatter for their own ends rather than your good.
Now, for advice on finding the true thing — a man worthy of your beauty — check out “Pray Boldly” and “Finding a Husband.”
Sincerely,
CANDICE WATTERS
Copyright 2006 Candice Watters. All rights reserved.
