Inner Beauty

Reality TV has become the number one attraction for many American "couch potatoes." While I'm not a big fan of television entertainment, I sometimes sit for an hour flipping channels during a vacation or weekend. This is usually because I'm too tired to do anthing else!

I sat down in front of the tube recently and watched about 30 minutes of a reality program that featured a physical, personal makeover of a rather plain looking young lady. She was provided with dental work, cosmetic surgery, breast enhancement, liposuction, and a new hairdo. At the end of the program to her astonished friends and family who exclaimed, "Oh Gawd! How beautiful you look. I didn't know there such such a beautiful, sexy person in there!" There were tears of joy and everyone seemed very happy in the end.

I hate to downplay the joy that the young lady experienced over her makeover. But I wonder what happened to inner beauty. The person with the makeover is the same person before all the surgery and physical enhancements. Why are we so focused on those physical aspects which are temporal and passing rather than the inner qualities which are eternal and lasting? I am not saying that people should ignore their bodies or devalue their physical being. But the hidden character of the heart is what is truly beautiful and lasting. I'd like to see a reality show that focused on inner beauty. In my view, people are beautiful not because of how they look, but because of who they are--human beings created in the image of God.