“You are altogether beautiful, my darling; there is no flaw in you.” – Songs of Solomon 4:7

It was Shakespeare who wrote, “Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder” – meaning that the perception of physical beauty is subjective.

Indeed, many people mistake attractiveness for beauty.

Whereas most of us would generally have no problem picking out an attractive person from a crowd, it is not as easy when it comes to beauty. 

Some dude might introduce his lady as the “most beautiful woman in the world,” making some people wonder whether the word ‘beautiful’ has changed meaning. 

To really know that a person is beautiful, you have to spend some time with them. 

I think that true beauty is not necessarily for the eyes to behold but an experience you get when you interact with someone at a deeper level.

So, beauty is more than mere physical looks; it flows from inside out.

Some people are extremely curvy and attractive on the outside yet they leave you totally drained even by talking to them on phone for a few minutes.

Our meditation verse today is from the Bible by the way, for those who might be wondering.

These love songs, written by King Solomon, are a shadow of Christ’s relationship to the Church, which is His Bride.

It says “you’re altogether beautiful; there is no flaw in you.” Mark the preposition “in you” not ‘on you.’

That means he is addressing inner beauty, not physical looks.

In Psalm 139:14, David says; I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.”

“I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.”

PSALM 139:14

Of course he was not referring to the external physical body since his body, like ours,  had to go through the natural process of aging. 

Today, your skin, hair, breasts, muscles, etc. are not as good as they were when you were 19.

Now, does it mean that you’re no longer “wonderfully made” as you were when you were a teenager? Of course not!

Your inner self – the soul, the heart and the spirit – were wonderfully made by God and they never grow old; they actually get better with age, like wine!

That’s what the Bible addresses in 1 Peter 3:3-4 when it says that “your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes.” 

That’s the deception, which the world has used to build its multi-billion dollar cosmetics and fashion industries.

“Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight” (verse 4)

As far as God is concerned, He made you altogether beautiful, regardless of what the fallen world has made you to believe about yourself.

You’re beautiful in a way that makes it all flow from the inside out, to the glory of God.

God wants us all to believe and embrace that truth; that we’re enough; that we don’t have to look like anyone else; that we don’t need to change our complexion.

Today, God is inviting us to focus on the inner beauty that never wanes instead of the external beauty that fades with time (and with the trends). 

As the whole package, you’re altogether beautiful!

Prayer:

Almighty God, thank you that I am altogether beautiful, there is no flaw in me from heaven’s perspective. Help me to always celebrate that truth in myself and others, for the glory of Your Name, Amen!