Deep Beauty: New Testament Class

Student Choice 02

Lesson 04

Have you ever seen a rebellious high school student that dyes their hair, pierces their nose, or wear's crazy clothes because they claim "I'm just trying to be different!". What's so ironic about this is, everyone else is "trying to be different" in the same exact way! Years ago I had a Book of Mormon teacher one time tell our class, "If you want to be different and stand out... keep the standards of the church." that rang true to me. 

My husband and I went to Italy in the summer for our honeymoon. We had a wonderful time, it's absolutely beautiful there! But do you want to know something that I noticed? EVERY single girl was wearing a tank top and shorty-shorts... and there I was with my T-shirt and pants... talk about feeling like a fly in milk! I stood out more than anyone! At first, I felt uncomfortable and less beautiful than all of the other girls but I learned something important, beauty doesn't depend on what you wear, it's how you live your life that's important. And I want to add, if you're living your life close to the spirit, you're not going to feel comfortable wearing revealing clothes. 

The Isaiah verses in 2 Nephi 13:16-26 have always bothered me... and I realized not to long ago why it's because ALL of this time I have been reading them wrong! Go figure, reading Isaiah wrong isn't that hard to do with all of the symbolism... it's amazing anyone can understand, haha! But once I finally realized what Isaiah was saying, it has become one of my favorite chapters. Before I had this epiphany, I always thought that Isaiah was saying, "If you ever try to look good, smell good, or wear jewelry, then you are a sinner!" I thought that I needed to walk around looking like a pioneer to please God, but this isn't true. In-fact I believe that when we do get ready for the day and feel good about ourselves it's easier to have the spirit with us. The key to the verses is (2 Nephi 13:16) "Moreover, the Lord saith: because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with stretched-forth necks and wanton eyes, walking and mincing as they go..." then they are cursed. It's not so much what they wear, but how they are wearing it. The word haughty means; arrogance, supriority, pridefulness. Stretched-forth necks; cant you just picture girls sticking up their noses at others? Wanton eyes; meaning trying to get men's attention in a bad way. 

And then after this verse, that is when Isaiah describes the things that these girls are wearing, but it's not the actual things that are "bad" it's why they are wearing them that is wrong. 

I had the same thought in 1 Timothy 2:9-10. When Paul says, "In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array." Again, doesn't it feel like he is saying that we need to walk around in our bonnets and cloth dresses feeling shameful and hideous? But when I read verse 10 it became clear "but (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works." It's not about what we wear, but how we wear it. In-fact, it's not about what we wear at all! It's about doing good works and having God's spirit with us.

Lastly, I want to share something that really changed the way that I viewed myself in High School. I don't know about you but High School was a war between the beauties, meaning, you were only popular and cool if you were beautiful. I watched so many girls hurt themselves and hate themselves because they weren't "beautiful enough" and to make matters worse, boys on the football team would come up with rude nicknames for girls... even the ones that I thought were beautiful. 

It was during this time when I was trying to figure out what beauty even was and how I could obtain it that Sister Elaine Dalton (I love her!) gave her conference talk called, "remember who you are!" back in 2010. She said, "I learned about what I now call “deep beauty”—the kind of beauty that shines from the inside out. It is the kind of beauty that cannot be painted on, surgically created, or purchased. It is the kind of beauty that doesn’t wash off. It is spiritual attractiveness. Deep beauty springs from virtue. It is the beauty of being chaste and morally clean. It is the kind of beauty that you see in the eyes of virtuous women like your mother and grandmother. It is a beauty that is earned through faith, repentance, and honoring covenants." Months after this address, she visited my High School to do a morning side (a fire side in the morning) when she walked in, all I could focus on was how beautiful she was and how she just glowed. I was actually asked to give the closing prayer and so I got to talk with her briefly afterwards. Her example and the things that she has taught me about "deep beauty" have changed my life because it's the type of beauty that I have searched for since.