beauty is only skin deep

Being a lady, I was taught to take care of my skin, but being lazy, I neglected this duty until recently. I didn't know the difference between cleansing and toning; I thought washing my face with water was good enough. It turns out there is a lot you can do to maintain your skin and other features of your body.

Over the past decades, there has been significant growth in the variety of beauty products and treatments. These range from anti-wrinkle creams to exercise equipment and health resorts. Where once only the rich and famous could afford the luxury of masseurs and the occasional weekend at a day spa, it has now become common practice for many more to take advantage of these services.

Despite the claims of advertisements and marketing campaigns, the truth is that people still age and die. The aging process is inevitable, yet most of us deny it by finding ways to keep ourselves young, fresh, and vibrant. Perhaps there is nothing wrong with maintaining our looks or wanting the sustainability of youth when we're in our late fifties or early sixties. However, we need to question our priorities—is it that important to have an outer shell that masks the truth that the inner self has indeed aged?

Have we become so worried about superficial appearance that we are no longer concerned with the inner self? Are we obsessed with making impressions through visual indicators rather than by how we relate to each other and the values that underpin our character?

Jesus didn't judge a person's outward appearance; he looked beyond that and cared about their inner being, the ideals, and beliefs that drove them. A physically attractive person isn't necessarily beautiful if they are driven by selfish greed and egotism. Jesus warns us about the deception of exterior appearances and reminds us to concentrate on people's actions, which demonstrate their true character and motivations. 

In talking about the teachers of law at the time, Jesus wrote:

"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.

"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men's bones and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness." Matthew 23: 25-28

If anyone ever told you that Christianity is a walk in the park, a bed of roses, or an easy and fun lifestyle, they were lying to you. Yes, it has its perks, and yes, we have the joy of the Lord, but sometimes it's tougher than sitting through a reality TV show. As I grow stronger in Christ and discover how corrupt my flesh is, the harder this walk becomes. It tears me apart inside when I succumb to temptations. I feel guilt and shame, vowing to turn over a new leaf and repent, but do I? Nope, I just keep walking, sometimes even strolling. I constantly run into a brick wall and reject God's rules. It's a vicious cycle, as I surrender to God and get back on the straight and narrow, then stumble and fall again.

My non-Christian friends like to tease me about being a Christian, and even though I have no issues or embarrassment about identifying myself as one, I find myself having to apologise—not for being Christian (please put your stones down)—but for being a poor reflection of such a magnificent God. Living out our Christian faith just for show is like applying beauty treatments on the outside only. When we are clean on the inside, our outward appearance of beauty and purity won't be a facade, and our actions will echo both the inner and outer quality of our life and the beliefs that drive us.