Today, I'm diving into a subject that is certainly not new under the sun, but I believe we're seeing it in new dimensions today: Vanity, Beauty, and Identity.

The Trap of Vanity

What’s interesting is how Saul is described: a man with the commanding presence and physical appearance of what a king should look like. The people saw Saul and thought, Now that’s a king. It raises this question: Did Saul’s impressive looks predispose him to vanity, trapping him in the need to maintain an image according to the world?

Vanity has the potential to be the downfall of so many of us. As Saul’s story demonstrates, it pulls us away from stepping into who we’re truly called to be. There’s nothing inherently wrong with having desires or caring, to some extent, about how others perceive us—it’s part of being human. But it's a problem when  these things become our god. Whether it’s appearance, wealth, or fame, when we allow them to become our ultimate focus, we risk compromising our values and stepping out of alignment with truth.

What's sad is worshiping beauty and image has become so embedded in our culture that many people fail to see it's grip on their lives. And there’s an agenda behind it. Industries thrive off people feeling unworthy—that’s capitalism, we know this. When the beauty icon is a 20-year-old with obvious enhancements, the message is clear: no matter how beautiful or youthful you are, you could be more. And just like that, they gained a whole new generation to generate billions in profits. People begin to lust after these things, believing it will bring them fulfillment. But you have to recognize that there is only so much fulfillment at the end of this road, until the well runs dry.

The issue doesn’t lie with beauty itself, nor with makeup, adornments, cosmetic enhancements, or even surgery. The problem depends on your heart posture and how much value you place on these things to define your worth. For example, when you're prioritizing beauty procedures over the ability to afford groceries or rent. Or spending countless precious hours scrolling through images of beautiful people, in an endless cycle of striving to achieve that. Or perhaps you feel a calling on your heart but are paralyzed by concerns about your image and how others perceive you. In all cases, this pursuit is sucking more out of you than it is giving to you. You have to recognize the difference. 

You Are Worthy Now

One of the most beautiful things about having your own children is how they reveal your own shortcomings. You look at this little person and can’t help but marvel at how precious and beautiful they are. I know people who’ve experienced healing in their own self-image struggles after becoming parents. They look at their child and think, “You are so perfect,” while, for the first time, recognizing parts of themselves in their child. The thought of that same child growing up to wrestle with feelings of unworthiness or thinking anything less about themselves is unbearable. It's deeply unsettling, and if you’re a parent, you know exactly what I’m talking about. I share this because I believe someone needs to hear it: This is how God sees you. Perfect. Unblemished. Worthy as you are, right now. 

This is why you have to crush the idol of beauty and image if it's taken hold in your life—Because it's not serving you. Your worth lies in something so much greater and better. Your distractions and idolatry are keeping you from knowing that beauty. 

I'll be perfectly honest in sharing, this also landed on my heart because it's something God has been working with me through. This year was the first time I really sat with the idea of beauty and identity, especially since messages about preserving my youth seem everywhere. It happened so fast too. One day aging felt far, and then all of a sudden, it wasn't. While i'm not against cosmetics and enhancements, it just had me thinking.

Does this begin the era of forever chasing my youth? How will I feel in the next decade, or the one after that? Will I ever truly arrive?

I wish I were more at peace with those thoughts, but I cared—and I cared that I cared. Yet here’s what I’ve realized: if we pour our precious energy into chasing the world’s fleeting standards of beauty and approval, we miss the mark entirely. We lose the opportunity to fix our eyes on a much more profound and lasting beauty mark.

Outward beauty is beautiful, but that's just it. It fades, it rots, and it’s a shallow legacy at the end of the day. God has a much more profound beauty legacy for you—genuine, radiant beauty that blesses lives and doesn’t fade with time. I believe this is the beauty that what happens when you let your light so shine before others (Matthew 5:16). You carry a radiance that cannot be bought from the world at a price. This is the beauty worth chasing.

If you're wrestling with feelings of unworthiness or an unhealthy relationship with beauty, I encourage you to bring it to God. Pray for healthy alignment, and to recognise the boundless beauty you carry. I promise, He will bring you to a place far better than anything the world can give you. 

"Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you" — Matthew 7:7 (NIV)

With love,

Natalie Grace xx