"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder." As a child, this was a seemingly lovely notion. When an instance of thought is given to the saying, it sounds like a comforting way to think -- that someone can say one is not beautiful, yet someone else can disagree and say that he or she is, indeed, just the opposite. However, if the first statement was true, then both of these people would be wrong.
Nothing can "be" beautiful. All beauty would be is an idea placed upon some noun by one's mind. In simpler terms, what would make beauty something in your mind. Therefore, beauty would be immeasurable, and truly only exist in our imaginations. For some people, this thought process is, at first, acceptable. When they hear this explanation, they might think, Well, that means beauty is just an idea. OK, that makes sense.
Think about it for a minute. We all know that's not true. How can something so emotionally tangible be only an idea that our minds formulate from nothing? We can watch the sun set over the ocean or clouds rest atop a mountain range. No one can say those things are not beautiful, or else they're lying to themselves. So what is it that connects these things that we all agree are beautiful? Then, if we all disagree about what is and isn't beautiful, then how isn't it that beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder?
If it isn't quite clear, I am suggesting that beauty is not at all subjective, as society often leads us to believe. Rather, I would argue that beauty is very much objective. First, let us look at what makes something beautiful. Though you may think this would take a long time to decipher, I think it's quite simple.
The Bible tells us in Genesis that God created every part of our universe. And in verse 31 of Genesis chapter one, it tells us, "God saw all that he had made, and it was very good," (NIV). Thus, every part of our universe is inherently good. That includes people. Now, when Adam and Even sinned, the entirety of creation was affected by the entrance of sin into the world. However, this doesn't change that it was all created good in the first place. Nothing can take that goodness away. We, as humans, will always have good in our image, as God created us in His own image.
Biblically, we must accept Christ in order for His image to be manifested spiritually within us. That means it is always there, we just need to take action so that it isn't hidden within us. Hopefully, we can all agree that beauty and goodness go hand in hand. To say something is beautiful is a good thing, never bad. Assuming this, we can assume that all this good that God speaks of in creation includes beauty. If everything He created is "very good," then it is also very beautiful.
You see, our universe is full of beauty. Beauty is contained within all that surrounds us. Not one person walks by you each day that does not hold beauty inside them. Some, you would say, are beautiful indeed. Others, you might argue have no hint of beauty in them. Then if I am correct in that they all have beauty in them, why do people disagree about the beauty of others? The answer is simple. We don't all see every bit of beauty that is there. We are a fallen race, hopelessly lost on our own. Sin envelopes us, causing our view of beauty to be extremely distorted. We're unable to see the beauty that lies in the diversity of God's creation. Each one of us reveals so much about God, yet we are doomed to see these differences as impassible incompatibilities instead of prime opportunities to learn.
Sometimes, it's hard to understand how someone good get along with or be attracted to another human. You know why? Because you are missing some aspect of the beauty that lies within them. Trust me, there is someone else out there who would think the same about you. But, the person that comes along and loves you for all that you have to give, that finds you breathtakingly gorgeous, and earnestly desires to know you, that person is lucky enough to see the beauty that is in you.
Allow that truth to sink in. You are beautiful. It's an inevitably sad truth that some people will not see that beauty, but it's OK. Some will see parts of it, while missing others. Some will even find beauty in the things we think are ugly about ourselves. The point is, find comfort and confidence in the fact that beauty is not in the eye of any human. Rather, beauty lies in the hands that created all that we see around us, including each other.
We are filled with God's incredible image. It is my encouragement to you that you allow the beauty He has given you to be seen by all. Don't be deceived if someone tells you that you are not beautiful. They are just missing what is most certainly there. And remember this next time you meet someone new. Don't be quick to judge, but really think about what it is that makes that person beautiful. Then, look at the world from a new perspective, and consider what you might find beauty in that you never have before. You never know what you might realize when you think about God's intention and creativity in creating every aspect of our world.
