beau-ty [n.] – the quality present in a thing or person that gives intense pleasure or deep satisfaction to the mind, whether arising from sensory manifestations, a meaningful design or pattern, or something else.

What is beauty? What makes something beautiful? Is beauty really in the eye of the beholder? What does that even mean??? Why do people put so much emphasis on beauty anyway? Am I beautiful?

To me, beauty is a sunset behind the Bangkok cityscape that looks like God Himself painted it across the sky. Beauty is the perfectly articulate positioning of tiny gold mirrors all over a Buddhist temple. Beauty is the symbiotic relationship of fish and coral underneath the surface of the sea. Beauty is the alignment of each constellation in the night sky and the perfect combination of order and chaos in the universe. Beauty is the soft, innocent face of a child who has yet to be jaded by this fallen world.

I’m a firm believer in beauty, but maybe not in the same sense that the world judges it. Just look around you…this world, this creation is beautiful. That’s simply undeniable. I wholeheartedly believe that God intentionally created beauty to show off, and that His perception of beauty is both seen and unseen. A lot of the time, the idea of beauty is concentrated so heavily upon outward appearances, but it really is so much more than that.

1 Samuel 16:7 — The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.

I mean, think about it. How often do you see a SUPER attractive guy or girl and think, “Wow…they’re beautiful,” but then you start talking to them and their demeanor just ruins the whole thing. Point in case: beauty can sometimes be only skin deep. And of course the opposite is true. I’ve known people who, by the world’s standards, wouldn’t really be considered beautiful, but their heart, passion, and amazing personality completely radiates beauty. I’m just saying, (in a Forrest Gump accent) beauty is as beauty does.

So, I’ve been thinking about beauty a lot lately because Thai culture puts so much emphasis upon it. The temples here are unbelievably gorgeous, and the architecture of important buildings and monuments is so intricate it’s ridiculous. I get annoyed sometimes because outward appearances are so important here, and a lot of the time all that really seems to matter is what things look like. It’s all about “saving face” in Thailand, and looking good for the world to see. It’s also a classic place to visit and get some cosmetic surgery for super cheap. Sounds like the perfect holiday right? The stereotypical “Thai women” are gorgeous and everything foreign men could ever want it seems…super skinny, shiny hair, perfect make-up…always. It’s sad, though, how everyone tries so hard to be beautiful here. I know I feel like an awkward, pale, overly-large giant among a sea of skinny, short people…so beauty isn’t really on my list of self-adjectives. But just listen to me; even as I write, I allow the world’s perception of beauty to contaminate my words and view of my own self. How ridiculous is that?!

So why do we, especially us women, try so hard to be beautiful? I feel like we’re always complaining about our physical flaws or shortcomings, and trying so dang hard to look good for the world. Though I’m most certainly a t-shirt and gym shorts kinda girl and I proudly get ready for work in 10 minutes flat every morning, I still change my hair color every other month; I buy random colored contacts just to mix things up a bit; I habitually lay out at my pool to get tan; and I adorn my “temple” with tattoos because I believe in their beauty. So perhaps, I’m a classic case of “pot calling the kettle black” when it comes to complaining about the never-ending quest for beauty. Haha. I worry about my looks just as much as the next chick, but really when it comes down to it, I’m me. Take it or leave it. I know God created me to be beautiful, and in His eyes, I am. (So, according to this verse…if you don’t think I’m beautiful, clearly it’s just because you can’t even understand how beautiful God made me. Haha.)

Ecclesiastes 3:11 — He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.

So I don’t even know how to conclude this, really. So what is beauty then? Whatever it is, I wish I could easily define it. I just know that many cultures distort beauty a lot, and pervert it with skewed ideas of sex and fakeness, but the fact is, we live in a fallen world, ladies and gentlemen. That’s no secret. Beauty isn’t always manifested in the way that God intended it, but I believe God makes Himself known through beauty, and He reveals His character through beautiful things and people. I love Thai culture, and I believe the beauty of it is a reflection of God. In a place where Christians seem to be few and far between, it’s amazing how much God reveals himself anyway.

I’m out. //Cwalk.