"But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord."
A couple of Sundays ago I spent the morning with one of the most beautiful people I have ever met. She was graying, wrinkled, and a little bit overweight. Her hair was slightly awry and she limped in function-over-form Grandma shoes. Her allure was not external. It was much, much deeper. It came from the Spirit of God, Whom she had allowed to permeate her being, transforming her into the likeness of Christ.
Timothy, God made you different in your appearance. Prepare yourself for stares, questions, taunts, awkward stolen glances, and feigned indifference. There is no question that you will feel hurt. What will you do with your pain? Your flesh will want to respond with anger, retaliation, and discontent. You may be tempted to deny, escape, or conform. But I pray that you would instead seek to see things from the Lord's perspective.
The Bible says that you are fearfully and wonderfully made, that God knit you together in my womb and His work was wonderful. When he formed you, He crafted every detail of your body. The choices He made at that moment were for your good and His glory. The world will force upon you its expectation of the ideal image. Reject it. It is a lie. For, if God Himself is absolute in beauty, should not Christ have been the picture of perfection? But rather it says of Him, "He has no form or comeliness; And when we see Him, There is no beauty that we should desire Him." Isaiah 53:2
Instead, embrace the glory that God can and will reflect through you as you draw closer to His infinite splendor. You see, one day you will leave your body behind and, if my prayers are answered, be ushered into the presence of Christ. To dwell on your earthly appearance is futile. Cultivate your eternal beauty by sitting in the presence of the Lord and allowing Him to change you into His image. If you do this, your concern over your fleshly "defects" will fade, and you will find your joy blossom and your sadness melt away.
Timothy, this is the only answer to your plight. There is comfort in no other place. You may fill your mind with thoughts of yourself, or thoughts of Him. The choice is yours.
Turn your eyes upon Jesus
Look full in His wonderful face
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim
In the light of His glory and grace
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