Better Than Beauty

By Malinda Williams

My junior prom was a little less than a week away. All my friends and classmates were happily chatting about how they had the perfect date, dress, or shoes lined up for the occasion. It made me sick. I hadn’t been asked yet, and the way things were looking, I wasn’t going to be. Everyone seemed to have a date except me, and it hurt.

I told myself it didn’t matter and tried not to take it personally. I even helped decorate for the dance with the rest of my class, but as prom approached, the hurt only worsened. I knew prom didn’t matter in the eternal scheme of things, but I was convinced this was a tragedy.

One night while reading my scriptures, my eyes were staring at the words on the page, but my mind was elsewhere. I just couldn’t get over myself. Maybe if I were more beautiful I would have had a date. I started thinking of things that would make me more beautiful in the world’s eyes. Make-up, jewelry, more fashionable clothes; surely these would make me more attractive. I came to the conclusion that had I used them, I would have a date for prom.

Then I glanced down at my scriptures in an effort to remember what I had read. I was surprised when a verse in the middle of the page caught my eye. “Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come before him: worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness” (1 Chronicles 16:29).

The phrase “beauty of holiness” hit me hard. I knew this was the Lord’s way of telling me that I didn’t need material things to be beautiful—I could be even more beautiful inside if I worked to be closer to Him. This little reminder gave me an overwhelming sense of His love, and I knew that no matter how things turned out, it would be all right.

I did manage to find a great guy to take me to the dance, and we had a fun time. But I know that even if I hadn’t found anybody to go with, I would have been able to get through it with help from the Lord. I know that there is no better way to be and feel more beautiful than through a strong relationship with Him. I also know that He can help us through our difficult times, no matter what they may be, because we are His children and He loves us.