The "gift" of physical attractiveness

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We are taught to honor the gifts we, as individuals, have been endowed with (intelligence, singing voice, artistic vision, musical ability, compassion, charity, etc.) and to develop these gifts in ways that are pleasing to God and beneficial to the lives of others.

But what can be offered by a person whose main gift seems to be that they are physically / sexually charismatic? A person can’t really do much with that and still remain in good-standing with the Lord.
 
Everyone has gifts to share with others. At the very least, the Christian in a state of grace has the supernatural virtue of charity, which can and should be developed by self-denial and acts of kindness.

In the case of someone very attractive, one form of expression of this charity might be modest dress, self-restraint, and expressing oneself in a chaste manner, out of consideration for others (which we should all be doing anyway, but for such a person it might be done with greater care, and might be more of a sacrifice and therefore more meritorious).

Good looks and sexuality can be a beautiful gift to give to a spouse, and there’s nothing wrong with that. But there have been nuns who were very beautiful, and gave the gift of their looks back to God, so that they could serve his Church more fully in other ways. Some of them became saints.

But I suspect the person in question has other gifts also, including spiritual ones, which might be discerned better with help from a priest or from friends. Some parishes have talks and retreats for this purpose (“Discover your spiritual gifts,” etc.).
 
on_the_hill said:
We are taught to honor the gifts we, as individuals, have been endowed with (intelligence, singing voice, artistic vision, musical ability, compassion, charity, etc.) and to develop these gifts in ways that are pleasing to God and beneficial to the lives of others.

But what can be offered by a person whose main gift seems to be that they are physically / sexually charismatic? A person can’t really do much with that and still remain in good-standing with the Lord.
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I disagree. If a person is attractive, they can use this gift to open doors to reach and lead others to Christ, just as other gifts. Of couse not in a sexual way.
 
on_the_hill said:
We are taught to honor the gifts we, as individuals, have been endowed with (intelligence, singing voice, artistic vision, musical ability, compassion, charity, etc.) and to develop these gifts in ways that are pleasing to God and beneficial to the lives of others.

But what can be offered by a person whose main gift seems to be that they are physically / sexually charismatic? A person can’t really do much with that and still remain in good-standing with the Lord.
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You have to be seen. That’s it. Possessing considerable physical beauty and yet being faithful to God’s vision for human sexuality is a testament of God’s power and the contentment that may come in singleness or holy, faithful marriage. It will be noticed.

A beautiful face is a reflection of a greater spiritual beauty within the soul. It is intended that the beauty of the soul and the beauty seen in the face are in alignment with one another. When a beautiful person instead chooses a life of immorality, their outward beauty becomes a lie.
 
Maurice Chevalier said this 80 years ago: “I smile at all the women. When they’re attractive, it gives me pleasure. When they’re not, it gives them pleasure.”

I always thought there was wisdom in that.
 
It’s not a gift. Regardless of gender, it’s usually the result of A Lot of self discipline in working out and dieting
 
If a person finds that their most valuable gift is their appearance, they should keep looking.
 
Birdpreacher said:
It’s not a gift. Regardless of gender, it’s usually the result of A Lot of self discipline in working out and dieting
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There’s a lot more to physical appearance than being skinny. I know lots of less fit people who look nicer than people who are fitter than they are. There’s the general shape of the body, the clarity and tone of the skin, the eyes and face, the fullness and color of the hair, straight, white teeth, etc. In addition, there are women who have such natural beauty that they can stand with not a speck of make up and their hair unstyled, next to another woman who is completely made up and she will still look nicer. There are some things a person can do to improve their appearance, but yes, a lot of it is a gift.
 
on_the_hill said:
We are taught to honor the gifts we, as individuals, have been endowed with (intelligence, singing voice, artistic vision, musical ability, compassion, charity, etc.) and to develop these gifts in ways that are pleasing to God and beneficial to the lives of others.

But what can be offered by a person whose main gift seems to be that they are physically / sexually charismatic? A person can’t really do much with that and still remain in good-standing with the Lord.
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It will be easy for them to get married which is a gift. There are scientific studies linking beauty to fertility, at least for women. It will be easy for people to like a beautiful person. Beauty is a double-edged sword. It leaves too quickly yet it is cherished so much.
 
Allegra said:
There’s a lot more to physical appearance than being skinny. I know lots of less fit people who look nicer than people who are fitter than they are. There’s the general shape of the body, the clarity and tone of the skin, the eyes and face, the fullness and color of the hair, straight, white teeth, etc. In addition, there are women who have such natural beauty that they can stand with not a speck of make up and their hair unstyled, next to another woman who is completely made up and she will still look nicer. There are some things a person can do to improve their appearance, but yes, a lot of it is a gift.
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I think it is just natural gift from God. St.Rose of Lima could not hide her beauty. I have seen rarely some naturally beautiful women - no makeup, no hair dye, nothing. They are wearing a simple outfit like any other girl - they are just beautiful. I love beautiful things. I am not sure what worth physical beauty has - but I know I do love diamonds, gold, and roses for their beauty.
 
A pretty face with a nice figure can cast a positive view. People are more likely to respond to good looking people.

There is no way good looks are the only thing God gave you! Those looks won’t last forever. So use your good looks to develop contacts and your other gifts.

People might believe you are just your looks, that doesn’t make it the truth.

Dolph Lundgren was the most beautiful, 6’4’’ blond, built man I’d ever seen and this was back in 1980. He also is a chemical engineer, and has returned to Hollywood to produce and develop. He could not have done that with out either looks or money, he had both.

Use your gifts for the Glory of God, what ever they are…
 
I think it could be similar to being wealthy.

It might be difficult to not get greedy/prideful, but as long as we know that everything comes from God and is lent to us, we won’t go down that road of greed and envy.
 
Birdpreacher said:
It’s not a gift. Regardless of gender, it’s usually the result of A Lot of self discipline in working out and dieting
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Not altogether.

Speaking only of males, the alpha-male body is the most “attractive” and is defined largely by height, shoulders, facial bones, etc, aspects that no amount of dieting or gym work will affect (well, gym work will help the shoulders to an extent).

An alpha-male body is largely a gift. And it has uses beyond the sexual life: alpha-males can more easily lead others.

IMNAAHO.

ICXC NIKA
 
on_the_hill said:
We are taught to honor the gifts we, as individuals, have been endowed with (intelligence, singing voice, artistic vision, musical ability, compassion, charity, etc.) and to develop these gifts in ways that are pleasing to God and beneficial to the lives of others.

But what can be offered by a person whose main gift seems to be that they are physically / sexually charismatic? A person can’t really do much with that and still remain in good-standing with the Lord.
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The best way that person be in good standing with the Lord is to SHOW RESPECT to his/her body just as one would do take care of the one and only best pottery in the world. He/She would not even do anything near breaking or scratching it.

Then, let everyone knows that you are taking care of the talent well so they will follow the way you respect your body as a temple of the Spirit. Finally, use that talent to bring other people near God.
 
geekborj said:
The best way that person be in good standing with the Lord is to SHOW RESPECT to his/her body just as one would do take care of the one and only best pottery in the world. He/She would not even do anything near breaking or scratching it.

Then, let everyone knows that you are taking care of the talent well so they will follow the way you respect your body as a temple of the Spirit. Finally, use that talent to bring other people near God.
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Ah, but while I do not dispute this, it is passive. This path is met by not doing things, e.g. Immoral acts. I’m just curious as to what can be actively developed.

A beautiful model can lead a ‘model’ life, I suppose.
 
on_the_hill said:
…

A beautiful model can lead a ‘model’ life, I suppose.
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I think that is just it. There have been studies that show people treat attractive people differently than others, as if they are a blank slate, or as if they are perfect people or what-have-you. Its sad, but it sounds like just one more of those things inherited from the fall, original sin. However, God can use attractiveness for his purposes… Look at some of the attractive God fearing ladies of the Old Testament… Esther, Judith- both these women’s attractiveness helped the Lord carry out His plans. Maybe even Bathsheba?
 
mommy_k said:
I disagree. If a person is attractive, they can use this gift to open doors to reach and lead others to Christ, just as other gifts. Of couse not in a sexual way.
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yes, by being a good example of a Christian.
 
AnneElizabeth said:
I think that is just it. There have been studies that show people treat attractive people differently than others, as if they are a blank slate, or as if they are perfect people or what-have-you. Its sad, but it sounds like just one more of those things inherited from the fall, original sin. However, God can use attractiveness for his purposes… Look at some of the attractive God fearing ladies of the Old Testament… Esther, Judith- both these women’s attractiveness helped the Lord carry out His plans. Maybe even Bathsheba?
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Bathsheba: that’s a toughie. If she had been more careful of her body, would she still have gotten into our LORD’s ancestry?

ICXC NIKA
 
GEddie said:
Bathsheba: that’s a toughie. If she had been more careful of her body, would she still have gotten into our LORD’s ancestry?

ICXC NIKA
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Yeah, I know!.. think about how confusing that is! It blows my mind, but I think maybe it should put us more at ease with our big mistakes that we are sorry for… we never know how the Lord can work with His clay.
 
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