Should Christians care about physical appearances?

When you first ask that question, before anything else, ask why you are asking it. Is it to find how much is too much of an emphasis on physical appearance? Or is to find out if Christians should care about physical appearance at all? The answer can be broken into two parts.

You are God's Masterpiece

You are an amazing creation who was made by the Creator of the universe. Every time you wake up in the morning, you are a testimony to the creativity of our God.

Psalm 139:13 tells us how God wove you in your mother's womb. Nothing man can ever create now or in times past can even come close to God's creations.

So in that sense, yes, you should care about your physical appearance as far as nurturing and caring for the body that God has given you. You are worthy of care.

God Looks Inward Not Outward

"The Lord doesn't see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." —1 Samuel 16:7 (NLT)

God judges the inward heart, not the outward appearance. Your heart is where your true beauty lies. As amazing as all that makes you you is, it pales in comparison to the beauty of your inner self (1 Peter 3:3-5).

While it's important to stay physically healthy and feel good in our own skin, our outward appearance should not be the sole focus of our attention and energy. Examining our focus levels in all things is an important part of our spiritual growth process. So we should make a habit of checking our heart's attitude toward our different priorities.

Examining Our Inward Selves

"Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted." —Matthew 23:12

When it comes to our appearances, one question to ask might be, "Am I dressing a certain way in order to get the approval of others?" If so, then it is time to re-evaluate your motives (James 4:6). Your value is not determined by what you look like externally or what people think of you. Those are two of biggest lies the world tries to feed us. If you find yourself beginning to feel that all your value is tangled up in how others perceive you, recognize it for what it is: FALSE.

What's a healthy balance then? We shouldn't forsake our bodies' physical needs because that's dangerously unhealthy. But we shouldn't make our entire personality based on what we look like alone because that leads to pride (or even shame). How do we find the balance between caring for the inside and the outside?

Do take care of yourself physically, but guard your heart against letting emphasis on your outward appearance become more important than growing in your relationship with God. Remember, you are a marvelous, beautiful child of God—and if you're a child of God, why would you need to impress anyone else but Him?

"Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect." —Romans 12:2 (NLT)

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