Lara and Tara (not real names) were two friends that joined our school.

For some reason then, we enjoyed comparing one another and decided who was more beautiful

I remembered a particular day – most likely a sanitation day or sport hour, most of us didn’t like attending sport – we sat beside our set block comparing people.

People ranging from our matrons, teachers, friends, juniors and even seniors went through scrutiny that day. Hardly did anyone we knew escape it.

I, particularly, was obsessed with picking people’s brain to find out who they thought was more beautiful between a particular two people.

When these girls joined us, of course it was impossible that I would not go after their beauty.

So I went round and asked my classmates who was more beautiful between both girls.

Almost everybody – if not everybody – said Lara.

That was it and I was satisfied with their answer because that was exactly what was in my heart.

Come few years later when we got to know them, I decided to ask again.

Oh well, you guessed right. They all turned back to say Tara.

Huh? Really? What happened? What changed since then?

You see, I wasn’t surprised that their answer changed. I was expecting it.

In case you are wondering what happened, let me bring you out of your misery.

When they first joined us, Lara seemed friendly and relatable. Tara, we thought, was arrogant. I don’t know why we thought so but we did.

When we got to know them, we discovered that Tara was not only intelligent; she was extremely generous to say the least. I am yet to meet someone who is as selfless as she is.

Then she is a Christian, in every sense of the word. You could almost feel it oozing out of her when you get close that this one has a relationship with the Lord.

You see, all these qualities made her beautiful. There was no way you could look at her and not see her beauty.

Even though her face had not changed and our sense of beauty had not changed, we changed our language about who was more beautiful because we had gotten to know her.

Beauty is skin-deep. The concept of beauty is fleeting without actually meaning to.

It just naturally cannot be substantial. It changes based on the information at hand.

Trust me, if all you have is “beauty”, it is just a matter of time before it is clear and you are tagged “not beautiful.”

Whether we like it or not, physical beauty lasts only from a distance, what is inside of you will determine whether it will stand the test of time.

Your beauty will last only as much as people know you. What they see after knowing you is what determines whether you are beautiful or not.

What am I saying? As you are working on the outside, work on the inside because no matter how much your container looks, if the content is rotten, that is what you will be measured by.

That is what will determine whether you are to be called beautiful or not.

 

BEAUTY