Seeking true beauty in a beauty-crazed world

"Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, But a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised."--Prov.31:30

From USA Today: "This obsession with plastic surgery is an epidemic. It's lunacy! These women have had their faces rebuilt and they look terrible. It's going to backfire at some point; sadly, somebody famous and young is going to have to die on the table." --plastic surgery veteran Jamie Lee Curtis, 49, to More Magazine.

Well, guess what, Jamie? Even that won't stop the lunacy. In a society where what you look like on the outside is of paramount importance, people--especially women--will continue to pursue that image of perfection, whether it be through plastic surgery or extreme diets.

Don't get me wrong; I believe in looking one's best. As an old preacher once said about women wearing make-up: "Even an old barn looks better with some paint." (OK, that's a groaner.) I don't even have a problem with people correcting something that really, truly needs fixing.

But I do believe the plastic surgery craze is getting out of control. It started in Hollywood and it's spreading across the nation, aided and abetted by the plethora of cosmetic surgery reality TV shows. One of the most disturbing trends is young girls hopping on the plastic surgery bandwagon; teen-agers getting breast implants, etc.

It might be a good idea to do a follow up on some of these people and see if altering their appearances was the ultimate antidote they thought it was going to be.

I don't think "charm is deceitful and beauty is vain" means we should give up trying to look our best. And I don't think that means we shouldn't try to be as beautiful as we can be for our husbands. But I do think it means we need to put it all into perspective...to get our priorities straight.

When I get frustrated with the signs of encroaching age, I think about my mother.

My beautiful mother is in her mid-70's, but looks much younger. I wrote these words in a tribute to her a few years ago, and they are just as true today: "She has sparkling green eyes; a lovely full,expressive mouth...a dazzling smile. The years have been kind to her, and she is a prime example of how decades of righteous living can influence a woman's face...Years dedicated to God's service and unselfish love for her husband and children. She has the sort of radiant, luminous, from-the-inside beauty that defies age."

And that's the kind of beauty to which I aspire.

Father, I thank you for the face and form that you have given me, even if I'm not always satisfied with it. Help me to remember that I'm fearfully and wonderfully made. And help me remember that the beauty of a pure mind, a loving heart, and a soul focused on you, is the kind of beauty that cannot be touched by age. Amen.


--Cindy Swanson

Visit Cindy's personal blog: