By Shenalyn Page
An Amazing Fact: People worldwide spent $2.37 trillion on beauty and fashion in 2022. Americans spent a whopping $453 billion on looking better. That’s almost $1,400 for every person living in the United States.
When was the last time you willingly handed over your hard-earned money for the perfect haircut? What about the latest pair of must-have shoes in your closet? Or the cremes you bought that are supposed to send your acne on a long
journey, never to return? Do you work out for long hours in the gym and watch your diet so you can look better?
You do a lot to be beautiful, don’t you?
Maybe you’ve been following the TikTok trend #looksmaxxing. The hashtag has over 3.8 billion views. It seems everyone is trying to improve their physical appearance to have more self-confidence, earn higher earnings, and be more
likable.
Is It Okay to Be Attractive?
But wait! Should a Christian even be asking how to be attractive?
Yes! You should want to be attractive. Our God is a lover of beauty. When He made this world, everything was perfect and beautiful and “very good” (Genesis 1:31). Adam and Eve were as gorgeous as God could make them. (Hollywood’s
hottest celebrities would look pretty sad next to them.) God designed you to be beautiful and attracted to beauty.
But here’s the thing: True beauty comes from the inside, not from the way we look on the outside. “For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7).
Strong shoulders or perfect curves have nothing to do with true beauty—or with your value. Real attractiveness comes from the heart. Kindness, courage, compassion, integrity, unselfishness … these attributes reflected in your actions
and on your face are the things that will make you irresistible.
How to Be More Attractive as a Christian
As a Christian, you can be the most attractive person around. Maximize your God-given appearance so that others will be attracted to you and want to know your amazing God. Practice these habits to become truly good-looking.
- Care for the Temple of God: The Holy Spirit is living in you (1 Corinthians 6:19), so keeping your body in the best shape possible is essential.
- Nourish your body with the most wholesome, healthy food you can get.
- Eat in moderation and work out hard so your body is strong and lean.
- Let sunshine and fresh air put a glow on your face.
- Get 7 to 9 hours of sleep each night.
- Drink lots of water and practice good personal hygiene.
Following God’s natural laws will keep you healthy, strong, and attractive. Just keep your efforts for physical beauty in perspective:
“For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come” (1 Timothy 4:8). God is all about saving people from the mess of this earth.
Shouldn’t our priorities shift away from ourselves toward revealing His love to hurting people?
- Live Joyfully: A smile is the most attractive thing you can wear. It lights up your eyes, improves your looks, and makes you seem more trustworthy and intelligent. Choose to smile and praise God
even in the darkest times, and you’ll find that you feel better and others are attracted to you more. “Praise from the upright is beautiful” (Psalm 33:1).
Do you struggle to be happy and smile? Then ask God to give you “the joy of the LORD”
(Nehemiah 8:10). It’s a gift He loves to give. Also, don’t be afraid to talk to a godly friend or counselor and ask for help. Sometimes, there are underlying factors that are causing your sadness that need to be addressed.
- Seek God’s Kind of Beauty: As a follower of Jesus, you are called to a different kind of beauty than the world seeks. You were created to reveal the “beauty of holiness” (Psalm 96:9). Godliness
(god-like-ness) is extraordinarily attractive. People are drawn to those who care more about others than they do about themselves (that’s the fundamental quality of God’s character). The fruits of the Holy Spirit—“love, joy, peace,
longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control”—are beautiful qualities (Galatians 5:22, 23). The best part is that God’s kind of good looks won’t disappear if your physical body ages or gets injured. The
“beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit” is “incorruptible” and “very precious in the sight of God” (1 Peter 3:4).
I Don’t Feel Beautiful
Do you feel ugly and unattractive? Many of us do because of unkind names others have called us or things we have told ourselves. But know this—you are beautiful to your heavenly Father. In the parable of the pearl of great price
(Matthew 13:45, 46), Jesus compared himself to a merchant who went in search of “beautiful” pearls. You are that beautiful pearl that was worth leaving heaven to find.
Your heavenly Father sees who you are on the inside, and He loves you exactly as you are.
“But now, thus says the LORD, who created you, O Jacob (put your name in here), and He who formed you, O Israel (put your name in here again): ‘Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine. When
you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you. For I am the LORD your God, The Holy One
of Israel, your Savior. … Since you were precious in My sight, you have been honored, and I have loved you’”
(Isaiah 43:1–4).