Biblical Beauty: Beauty's Imposter

       It was a quiet morning and innocent Little Red Riding Hood went on an adventure looking for Beauty.  So she set out with a gentle and quite spirit in one hand and her Bible in the next.  It didn't take long before she came upon the place where Beauty dwelt, or where Beauty was supposed to be living.  Timidly she tip-toed inside, expectantly looking for the beauty her parents and fairly tale stories had talked about.  Then all of a sudden she found it.  But could that really be Beauty???  It looked more like a fake, scandalous version of something that was supposed to be so much more.  And she was right.  As she looked through the door instead of finding Beauty, she found Sensuality.
     Many of us have been looking for beauty for a very long time.  At one point, we were all Little Red Riding Hoods with romantic dreams of what beauty was.  I don't think I was the only little girl who dreamed about how pretty I was going to be on my wedding day.  "When I grow up, I want to be beautiful!" was the line that often ran through my juvenile head.  And it was a good dream, until I couldn't find beauty. Maybe you have faced the same dilemma; maybe you have and you don't even know it.
     The problem is this, beauty has been devoured.  It has been completely swallowed up by the jaws of sensuality.  So now, when we go looking for beauty, we think we have found it but in it's place is it's imposter.

     The second problem is this, few of us have been trained to identify sensuality so we embrace it thinking that it is beauty.  So, what is sensuality?  Well by definition sensuality is, unrestrained indulgence in the gratification of the senses.  The main purpose of sensuality is to excite the senses of those around us in a way that draws attention to ourselves.  Let us look at Proverbs for an example of what it looks like.

“And behold, the woman meets him, dressed as a prostitute, wily (or crafty) of heart. 

She is loud and wayward(rebellious); her feet do not stay at home...

She seizes him and kisses him.”

Proverbs 7:10-11,13

     

     Where does sensuality start? In the heart.  We see here that this woman is wily or crafty of heart.  Her main purpose and desire is to fool, trap and entice.  Is this not the message the world is sending to us as young women?  You're not accepted unless you flirt and you're not desirable unless you use your body to entice the young men around you.  Now while it might not be as prominent in our 'christian' circles, this example is often followed in our own lives to some extent.  When was the last time you put on a pair of jeans that were a little tighter than they needed to be, a shirt a little lower cut than was necessary or wore the dress that was a smidge too short, just because you knew, well, let's be honest, you knew you looked good and you wanted others to notice!  To my shame, I can remember several occasions where I purposefully dressed in a way that was as close to that invisible 'modesty' line as I could get just because I knew I was going to be around young men.  It's the message we are fed and it is the message we have allowed ourselves to be carried away by. 

      Although sensuality starts in the heart, it doesn't stay there.  As we look at this verse we see that there are three ways sensuality expresses itself.

#1: Her Attitude: She is loud and wayward
     Pride and false self-confidence are deeply intertwined in the heart that is given to sensuality.  Desiring to be our own authority, she does not submit to God's blueprint of submission to Him.  

     You will often find the sensuous young woman seeking to be the center of attention by her words and actions. 
 #2: Her Actions: She seizes him and kisses him

     Because sensuality seeks to arouse the attention of others around them, usually men, the actions that proceed are often times flirtatious in nature.  It might be a hug, a seemingly innocent laugh or even a fun game of keep away that a young girl with use to draw a young man's attention to herself.

#3: Her Dress: Dressed as a prostitute

     Distraction leads to attraction which leads to sin.  A young woman has an amazing power to influence the eyes, thoughts, and heart of a young man.  God has created a beautiful attraction between men and women for a purpose only to be fulfilled in the context of marriage. This attraction is a powerful thing but is often misused for a young woman's own selfish desires.   If it is our desire to entice, trap, or ensnare young men it will show through in our choice of clothing.  A woman who has a sensual heart will dress in such a way as to bring attention to her body.  Watch out!!! It is an easy trap to fall into.

So How Serious is Sensuality?

“For from within, out of the heart of men proceed the evil thoughts, 

fornication, thefts, murders, adultery, deeds of covetousness, wickedness, 

as well as deceit, sensuality, evil, slander, pride and foolishness.

All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”

Mark 7:21-23

      A woman can properly be called beautiful. A women can properly be called elegant. 

But a woman who is sensual has an evil heart.”

-Paul Washer

       It's an authority issue.  It's a pride issue. It's a sin issue.  Sensuality is a heart issue.  God has made us to seek His attention.  When we use our bodies, our behavior, our action and our attitudes to turn the attention of others away from God and onto ourselves, not only have we sinned against our brothers, we have sinned against the God of the universe.

"Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power 

and might be to our God forever and ever!"

Revelation 7:11

~
Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep.  For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed.  The night is far gone; day is at hand.  So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy.  But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify it's desires.
Romans 13:11-14