Article April 25, 2016 Issue

Beauty—more than skin deep

Karen McCoy

I love to look at fashion magazines and have done this since I was a young girl, although I have to say that now I approach leafing through these glossy pages from a maturer perspective.

The pursuit of beauty is not an unusual desire for many children and adults. Looking back on it now, I really think that my childhood wish was actually a desire to be loved, and I thought that if I looked beautiful, as the magazines portrayed beauty, I would be loved. And who doesn’t want to be loved, accepted, and cherished?

Not long ago, the following citations from Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy were running through my thoughts for a couple of different reasons. The first one is on page 425: “Consciousness constructs a better body when faith in matter has been conquered. Correct material belief by spiritual understanding, and Spirit will form you anew.” And this citation: “Beauty is a thing of life, which dwells forever in the eternal Mind and reflects the charms of His goodness in expression, form, outline, and color” (p. 247).