In recent time, I have seen a tide and spike of self-praise, especially on social media.
So how do you feel when you post photos of you with captions like ‘very beautiful’, ‘pretty’, ‘beautiful girl’, ‘demure’, ‘beautiful and demure’, ‘very beautiful’, ‘pretty gurl’, etc.
Like who does beauty help?
Beauty without character is zero and unprofitable.
The real beauty is beauty of the inner man/woman
I’ve come to discover that there are three elements to physical beauty. Of these three, you have control over just two.
The first element is the design which is determined by the architect or designer
The second is cleanness/neatness
The third, is smoothness/fineness
Colour is not even a distinct asset by itself alone, as any shade or variant colour of anything would still remain beautiful provided it was already beautiful. Hence a beautiful shoe would remain beautiful if it were blue or green, yellow or red, black or white.
Colour harmony constitutes to beauty but that’s part of the design. It is the designer or architect that determines the colour combination and harmony of a product. He does this in combination with other elements like shapes and sizes to create the beautiful artwork.
The design is the most important part. Whatever is designed beautiful, is almost always beautiful, though with time as the artwork becomes older and gets acted upon by the elements of nature, the beauty wanes. So also, with human beauty, physical beauty does not last forever. At old age, beauty dwindles. So when you place all your hope, trust and treasures upon it, what happens at old age when the beauty is no more?
Sometimes people praise their physical beauties without recourse to the designer or architect who ascribed the beauty, as if the beauty work was solely their own doing.
Testimonies of human assets, features and qualities are most appreciated when they are given by independent actors or others aside the one whom the testimony is being given of.
While speaking about this kind of testimony, Jesus, even though was the Son of God, said His testimony would be false if He had been the one to have solely given testimony about Himself (Jn 5:31).
So should Christians be praising their good qualities, beauties, assets or good deeds?
While giving praise is great, it is only good when given to the One or in recourse to the One who is worthy of it. That is God.
As frail humans, we are not worthy of praise because whatever it is we do, can do, did, or will ever do, was not and can not be by our own strengths or abilities but solely by the grace of God.
While Jesus was teaching one day, he said as servants, when we have done what was required of us, we should only say we are unprofitable servants and have only done our duties. (Lk. 17:10).
This underscores the importance of not directing the attentions for whatever good deed we have done to ourselves, or expecting praise in return.
John the Baptist in his desire to see Christ glorified said: He must increase while I decrease. (John 3:30).
This should also be our attitudes as Christians.
In the same vein, in order that Christians may escape the temptations of praise from men and therefore lose their heavenly rewards, Jesus taught us that our left hand should not know what our right hand does and that all our good deeds should be done in secret. (Mt 6:3).
So you may be tempted to start blowing the trumpet for whatever good deeds you have done, posting the pictures and videos on social media for people to see and praise you, or telling anyone who cares to listen, but that is one of the quickest ways to lose your heavenly reward for that good deed.
Therefore, there is a different way for Christians to give praise. Not that it is suitable for only Christians but that praise should always be given with reference to God.
As scripture says;
Let whatever you do be to the glory of God. (1 Cor. 10:31)
So this is how to praise one’s physical beauty, assets or qualities for a Christian:
‘By the grace of God, I am beautifully and wonderfully made’
‘I am a wonderful piece created by God in His own image and likeness’
‘Come rain, come shine, I’ll keep shinning for God has wonderfully and beautifully made me; a wonderful piece out of His grace and benevolence’
These are just a few ways that Christians can caption their photos, videos, posts and speak about their beauties, qualities and assets that ascribe glory to God.