Be Stunning Inside Out

 

You’re Beautiful But You Can Be Stunning Inside and Out by Malu Tiongson-Ortiz is the last book I read two months ago. I tried finishing other books, but I haven't even a single one from five of the books I started reading.

As the title of the book says, it is about beauty and not just the physical beauty it has accounts of the holistic approach when it comes to beauty, inside and out.

Some say beauty is in the eye of the beholder. But what exactly does it mean? Some say it means that beauty depends on the eyes of the person who sees it. Does it really? 

Oxford Languages, an online dictionary, defines the famous proverb "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" as beauty that cannot be judged objectively, for what one person finds beautiful or admirable may not appeal to another.

Shamcey Supsup-Lee said beauty is not definite, we define it. She has a point, and what can we expect from a beauty queen like her. Ms. Supsup-Lee previously competed in Miss Universe 2011, finishing third runner-up. Sure, she knows. Yes, she knows. 

But the question is, does beauty equate to self-worth? Yes. No. And sometimes I don't even know. We are influenced by many factors and ideals in life that may affect how we view beauty and self-worth, and sometimes it can be a difficult task to even identify and express their true meaning.

Malu Tiongson-Ortiz mentioned in her book that self-worth is not based on looks which always becomes the basis of beauty, accomplishments, or possessions. Instead, self-worth is based on God’s love for us, according to God’s design and original plan for us. 

Having a relationship with God directs us to the right track and sight of how we view beauty and self-worth.  And as we grow more in Christ, our identity progressively leans and depends on what He did for us on the cross. He has paid the highest price, and that alone is the proof that we are worth more than any gold, wealth, or riches in this world. We live in a passing world where everything is fleeting and temporary. Our looks, accomplishments, and possessions are anything but passing. We are bound to lose all of the materials we thought of high importance in this lifetime.

Another question is, have you ever asked yourselves what makes us ugly or beautiful? The book You’re Beautiful But You Can Be Stunning Inside and Out gives us lists of what makes us ugly or beautiful, and you might wonder which list is longer. 

What makes us ugly?

29 They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; 31 they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy.
Romans 1:29-31

The list is a bit long, so we have to be aware of them. We don't want a rotten core filled with wickedness, evil, greed, and depravity.

1. Envy, Jealousy
2. Self-centeredness
3. Malice
4. Gossip
5. Slander
6. Pride and Arrogance
7. Vanity
8. Materialism
9. Sharp Speech
10. Nagging
11. Judging
12. Bitterness, Unforgiveness
13. Quick to Anger
14. Neediness
15. Stinginess
16. Domineering, Control, Manipulation
17. Disrespect Towards One’s Husband
18. Bossiness
19. Egotism
20. Hypocrisy

What makes us beautiful?

3 Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. 4 Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.

1 Peter 3:3-4

We only need the fruit of the Spirit to make us beautiful and stunning inside and out.

1. Love
2. Joy
3. Peace
4. Patience
5. Kindness, Gentleness, Goodness
6. Faithfulness
7. Sel-control

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

Galatians 5:22-23

You are beautiful, girl, but you can be stunning inside and out!