Practical Life: Why Beauty Matters

3 Reasons to Care About Loveliness
Quotes by Christian Counselor Jean Lush

"I think God knows how important beauty is to us. We have but to open our eyes to know He wanted us to be surrounded by beautiful things… Think of how you feel when beauty surrounds you, and when it doesn’t."

1. Beauty Creates Energy

"Imagine yourself sitting on the steps of a tenement house. You yawn with lazy despair. The ground is nearly bare, with an occasional clump of weeks cut to resemble grass. Garbage oozes over an open garbage can… You bend to pull one of the millions of weeks growing in the cracks in the walk that leads into the litter-lined street…

Not a pretty sight. Lack of beauty—ugliness—brings grief to the spirit. Shabbiness and disorder drain us.

Now imagine the same place. A woman moves in next door. She scrubs and cleans inside and out, then sands and paints the trim a sparkling white. She waters the parched and patchy yard and scatters grass seed… You ask if she’d mind if you worked together… Together you plant flowers and shrubs. You gather discarded brinks and create a garden full of forget-me-nots and candytufts…

Can you feel the difference? Beauty creates energy. It lifts the spirit."

2. Beauty Debriefs Tension

"Tension, anxiety, stress, depression, anger—all can be defused by beauty.

As a counselor, I have a tendency to internalize my patients’ problems. I may come out of a session tight with tension. Often I will take some time to go to a quiet place and glory in loveliness. Other times, when I can’t go out, I close my eyes and let my imagination create a beautiful scene."

For the beauty of the earth, for the glory of the skies, for the love which from our birth over and around us lies; Lord of all, to thee we raise this our hymn of grateful praise.
—Hymnsite.com

3. Beauty Helps Our Self-Esteem

"Just as beauty does not require a flawless face, neither does it require youth.

Part of a woman’s beauty is her style. I’m not talking about fashion. A woman of mystique is never trendy, but develops her own individual style. She compensates for what she doesn’t have by accentuating positives.

Don’t let lack of money keep you from developing an attractive outward appearance. You may not be out to impress kings and prince with your great beauty, but wouldn’t it be nice to feel and look stunning? Start with one dress or outfit in which you look absolutely marvelous and build from there. Improving your appearance improves your self-esteem.

I’ve had women ask me why I put so much emphasis on appearance. 'After all,' they say, 'it’s what’s inside that counts.' Yes, that’s true. But remember, like it or not, men are stimulated by attractive women. They are generally very visual and don’t like sloppy women. A man wants to be proud of his wife or date.

Now be honest: Don’t you like your husband to look good? A woman wants to be proud of her man too."

Excerpts are quoted from Emotional Phases of a Woman’s Life by Jean Lush & Patricia H. Rushford. Endorsement by Dr. James Dobson.

Related Articles

1. Buffy, a British blogger, has published a whole series of posts on beauty at Buffy's Salon. Check out her latest article, "The Charm of the Victorian Nightdress."

2. Jennifer at Diary of 1 publishes a family blog with a zine format on weekends. "Each month, I choose a topic and write four feature articles on that subject, publishing usually on Sundays." Don't miss her inspiring piece,
"Simple Spring Decorating."

3. From the Chrysalis archives: Best Foot Forward: Your Public Life.

Meme: The Beauty of Femininity

Wendy at Melodious Meyhem tagged me for a meme. If you're interested, I've posted my interpretation, "The Beauty of Femininity" here.

I'm tagging Karla, Kilikina, Kristy, Michelle in Mx, and Rachelle.

You're free to handle the questions any way you want, and participate only if you have the time.

Up Next—The Listening Post. (Your Turn to Talk!)


Do you make beauty a priority in your
daily life?

Photos: chany14, nuanc, adwriter (Flickr)