Is Real Beauty on the Outside or the Inside?

To properly address this question we first need to define what beauty is. The most applicable definition I found is simply “excellent aspect: an attractive, useful, or satisfying feature.” This could well be filled by the outer appearance of a person, and it seems as though this is exactly what our society values the most. It often carries over into other aspects of our live also, beautiful people driving beautiful cars in beautiful areas of the city. Get the picture? I think it is a tragedy that society is geared toward this trend. Vanity is the legacy our society is leaving us. Surgery to take away wrinkles, eliminate fatty tissue, breast enhancement, the list goes on and on. Every day it seems as though another new technique for sculpting our looks is discovered. I say this is just plain wrong.

Jesus told us to “love thy neighbor.” From my study of the New Testament I believe he was telling us to love others whether they are fat, thin, ugly, pretty, mean, gentle, or almost any other aspect of a person. I believe that there are truly ugly people in this world, serial killers for example, but the ugliness that I refer to is of the soul. Truly evil people are rare, almost anyone has a beautiful aspect inside themselves.

I have been married twice, and neither woman was what I considered beautiful on the outside. There were certain physical attributes, eyes for one and hair for the other, which initially attracted me. But I did not marry either woman for her looks. My first wife, who was my high school sweetheart, had an inner innocence that drew me to her like a bee to honey. The nine years we spent together were almost conflict free. I don’t recall either one of us ever raising our voice to the other. We connected so deeply and intimately that we knew what the other needed or wanted without words being spoken. Unfortunately I am an alcoholic and alcohol became my lover instead of my wife. Guilt and shame drove me to leave her so that she could have a better life. During this period of endlessly pursuing the alcohol euphoria, my inner beauty faded to almost nothing. Many years later I managed to get and stay sober, my soul began to heal, and my inner beauty started shining again.

If you are single, and even if you aren’t, take the time to know the people around you. Look past the outer shell and into their soul. You may be surprised by the treasure you find.