Pulchritudinous
By Kim Pitman
Life with a 17-year-old boy is always full of challenges. Raising my son has been no exception to that rule. Boys, guided by the world and their hormones, are very sure they know what beauty is.
In my son's estimation there are certain physical qualities that enable a woman to be good-looking. I’m sure that you can imagine what they are. A beautiful woman has a figure that’s firm and curvy. She would be tall but not taller than he is and have long blonde hair and blue eyes, perfect teeth and a perfect smile. I’m hoping maturity will eventually teach him that all those physical attributes do not necessarily insure a pretty woman. I’m trying to teach him about what a truly beautiful godly woman looks like.
Of course a big part of that lesson is that the same attributes that make a beautiful godly woman apply to making a handsome godly man. Lives that show the Fruit of the Spirit make us beautiful to others. When we generate love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control we make ourselves attractive to others and we please our heavenly Father.
I looked up some synonyms for the word beautiful. Included in the list were words like foxy, ideal, classy, ravishing, and bewitching. I think my favorite was pulchritudinous. The definition of pulchritudinous is: characterized by having great physical beauty and appeal. Of course our culture values pulchritudinous over almost any other quality except money (as in lots of it).
Thankfully, and blessedly, God doesn’t place physical beauty anywhere on His list. He’s more interested in how generous I am. He looks at my heart to see if I love others as He loves me. God is watching to see if I’m producing the Fruit of the Spirit not if I’m producing great wealth. I believe that God looks at me through the shed blood of His Son and finds me beautiful because I belong to Jesus.
As a mother one of my duties is to teach my son God’s definition of pulchritudinous. It’s difficult. I’m constantly fighting the culture that we live in that only looks on the outside. Imparting to him the truth that we are truly beautiful only when we live by the direction of the Holy Spirit requires all of my imagination and use of every object lesson I can come up with. Being beautiful by God’s standards is much more important that by the world’s standards.
You can be beautiful to God too. Just believe on His Son Jesus and follow Him. Live in His grace and His peace that passes our understanding and you will become His radiant Bride.
Copyright © March 27, 2006 – Kim Pitman. All rights reserved.
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