Is it wrong for Christians to love beauty?

For a lot of us Christian women, the word beauty can feel so emotionally charged and difficult. We're told that our appearance can become an idol, and we Know how comparison can steal our peace...and unfortunately we are all quite aware of how the world often tells us that our value still comes from how we look. So sometimes, and understandably so, in an attempt to avoid vanity and being told we're trying too hard, we can accidentally distance ourselves from beauty altogether.
But I'm now posing the question...

Is beauty itself really the problem? or have we misunderstood the whole purpose of what beauty was created for?

Before beauty became connected with advertising or trends and comparison, beauty belonged to God. Think about it, God created beauty way before we as humanity took it and distorted it. Remember the first garden?
Eden was full of beauty, I'd argue it was beauty all over, perfect beauty that had the added majesty of God walking amongst it!

And what about God's choice to fill the whole of creation with colours, with textures, varieties and sheer abundance? God could had made everything functional but He decided that He wanted it to be something to behold, something with added layers. From this, we can certainly conclude that beauty was present before sin entered the world, which would therefore lead us to understand that beauty itself is not a sinful thing.

Beauty was God's idea first

There is a distinct difference between believing that beauty exists because God is beautiful and beauty existing to make us valuable. Although this can feel obvious when we sit and think about it, the world is constantly trying to shape where our identity comes form, so we need to make sure that we are reminding ourselves of what God says about us.

As we explored in 'What Does God Say About Your Identity and Worth?', our worth is already established in Christ, we aren't trying to prove the matter. So instead, beauty can be something to be enjoyed rather than something we need to use, because we already know that we are loved.

Beauty and Vanity are Not the same

God loves the details!

We aren't usually taught to focus on this, actually quite the contrary, we were taught that God loves empty rooms, and the least possible pizazz when it comes to things. However, scripture is actually interwoven with God revealing His care for beautiful things.

Let's take the tabernacle for example. Read anywhere in Exodus 25 and 26 and we can see the instructions to use the finest gold, silver, expensive woods and best quality twisted linens, not forgetting the finest craftsmanship used to create the Holy objects. We can only imagine how incredibly spectacular the sight must have been to look at!

But the use of beautiful things dosnt stop there, how can we forget the finest linens for the priests, the imported fragrances for anointing and offerings and the precious stones mentioned in revelation. Our God is not a God of dullness and emptiness! He is a God of creativity and abundance!

Beauty that reflects the heart

So...if beauty itself isn't the problem, then what is?
Maybe the problem has never been beauty at all, but the reason we pursue it. When beauty becomes our source of identity, or significance or validation, it quickly becomes a burden that we were never meant to carry. However, when our identity is already secure in Christ, beauty is set free to become what it was always intended to be: a reflection of the Creator rather than a replacement for Him!
I personally think this is where the idea of elegance comes in.

Today, elegance is often mistaken for expensive clothes, polished appearances or effortless sophistication. But true elegance is much deeper than what we wear because it begins in the heart.

See an elegant woman is not defined by designer labels or by her perfectly styled hair, she's marked by gentleness, wisdom, humility and a quiet confidence. She doesn't need to shout to be noticed because her life carries something far more lasting than outward beauty.

Her kindness speaks, her character, her love for Christ. Outward beauty might, and often does catch someone's attention for a moment but it's inward beauty that leaves a lasting impression.

If we take 1 Peter 3:3-4 for a moment:

Your adornment must not be merely the external-braiding the hair, wearing gold jewelry, or putting on apparel; 4 but it should be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God.

If we look closely, do you see how Peter doesn't say that beauty is wrong, rather he is redirecting us to the kind of beauty that never fades instead? I believe the most beautiful women are those who know whose they are. When our hearts are anchored in Christ, when we truly know that it is all for Him, the way we dress, create, speak, host, serve and even the way we appreciate beautiful things becomes an overflow of worship, rather than a search for our worth.. Maybe true elegance then, is simply confidence that has learned to rest in God.

Beauty in everyday worship

This understanding has totally changed the way I think about beauty and fragrance. Rather than seeing perfume as something that makes us more valuable, I now see it as one of the many beautiful gifts God has woven into creation for us to enjoy with gratitude.
In the same way we might light a candle while spending time in prayer, arrange flowers on the table before welcoming guests, or carefully prepare a meal for those we love, fragrance can become another quiet expression of beauty, hospitality and intentional living.

As I reflected on this biblical understanding of beauty, it inspired me to create a fragrance called Hadar, a Hebrew word often translated as splendour, honour or beauty. I chose that name because I wanted it to point beyond outward appearance. To me, Hadar represents a beauty that carries dignity...a gentle elegance that begins within and quietly shapes everything around it. Maybe that's the invitation Scripture gives us too. Not to reject or chase beauty. But to receive it as a gift from the God who is beautiful Himself, allowing it to draw our hearts back to Him rather than away from Him.

Reflect with me?

• Have I ever confused beauty with worth?

• Does the way I pursue beauty draw me closer to God or further from Him?

• What would it look like to cultivate an elegance that begins in my heart rather than simply in my appearance?

• How might I use beauty to bless others and glorify God?

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