She ran her fingers across the cold metal glass. Her glassy eyes, mascara run face, and frizzing hair looking back at her, anguish evident, she reached for a towel. Suddenly, the image reflected back at her changed. The glassy eyes were replaced by the sorrow filled eyes of a Savior in anguish. The mascara run face was replaced by wounds and slashes, cut deeply by the glass of the whip. The frizzing hair was replaced by a bloody forehead, covered with a crown of thorns. In alarm, she jumped back; as the wave of the picture engulfed her, she began to sob. In complete and prayerful abandonment, she laid her heart before God.

The world has always portrayed beauty as something that is black and white. Focus on outward beauty has spanned history, high schools, colleges and media. What they don't tell girls, teens, and women searching for the secret to flawless skin, perfect hair, and the latest styles is that they have been lied to.

Proverbs 31:30 spells it out by saying, "Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting...". There cannot be a set doctrine that determines beauty because it is fleeting. Beauty spans decades and generations. This verse finishes by saying, "but a woman who fears the Lord, she is to be praised." Such a powerful revelation...God has standards of beauty. And the best part about God's standards...they don't change.

There is no undulating portrayal of what beauty is with Christ because He made, designed, and created each individual human being. That's right, from your pinky toe to your left ear...all God's handiwork. Because God cannot make anything that is not good(if that were the case it would be totally contradictory to His entire existence because God in His essence is the very definition of good), all of His creatures are beautiful.

Beautiful, in that, behind those annoyingly long eye lashes is a tremendous blush, revealing the gentle spirit of the one who it becomes. Beautiful, in that, behind those dorky glasses and fading eyes is brown eyes, changing color as they reflect the light, demonstrating God's endless creativity. Beautiful, in that, behind those frustrating quirks of personality is an individual so full of excitement for Christ that she can't help but live in joy because of the realization that she is "fearfully and wonderfully made" by a Skilled Architect.

Her beauty is not defined by the things that she wears, the way her hair looks, or her body type. Her beauty is reflected outward by the inward condition of her heart. Her sparkling eyes, once dulled by tears, are now filled with the joy of life. Her blushing cheeks, once covered in runny mascara, are now shining in the truth of the Gospel. Her hair, still frustratingly frizzy, is no longer of importance as she finds her worth in Jesus Christ and plants herself in the work of the Gospel.

Mirror, Mirror on the wall I have no use for you at all. When I find my worth deep in my heart, I embrace God's plan and play my part.