Beauty Not Beheld: A Daily Guard Against the Lies of Self-Love Culture

by Paige Stitt McBride

Beauty Not Beheld equips believers to discern the subtle lies about identity and beauty that permeate our current cultural climate and replace them with biblical truths about who we are and who we were made to be. In an effort to speak the truth in love, Beauty Not Beheld will gently push readers to expose our culture’s distortion of the central message of the gospel in the self-love movement and instead embrace the true gospel that will set us free and lead to a thriving sense of self.

Each week focuses on a different aspect of our true, biblical identity, whether that be our brokenness, our redemption, or even our physical selves. Each week provides six studies contrasting a common sentiment in society with a biblical truth. After reading the given passage of Scripture and commentary, readers are given reflection questions to verbalize and apply what they are learning.

Genres: Nonfiction

384 pages, Hardcover

Published September 13, 2022

Reviews

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

A massive study with a lot of food for thought on the heart and mind’s conditioning, as well as a call against popular phrases we use and/or encounter every day - this book is definitely counter-culture, and helps to challenge and broaden your perspective in light of your spiritual identity. I love what this book has to say about humility, service, and why we should not be obsessed with our image (whether positively or negatively). Hits the nail right on the head on these important issues! I was a little more hesitant on the misunderstandings I felt the author had about self-care and self-help; though she attempted to balance it, there was a lean to her perspective that felt at times “human.” Yet I get her!

I also felt that the way the scripture was used to counter the phrases/popular stances was a bit of a stretch and lacked context at times. Not always! Just at times. Many times the author provides rich commentary on the context of the words you are pouring over; however, I did not always think the scripture that was paired with the daily reading could be extrapolated and applied to the point the author was making, and I did not always feel the correlation was clear between the selected scripture and the phrase she was challenging us to regard in a new way. When it was clear, it was VERY clear - the way she handled “I am fearfully and wonderfully made,” for example - excellent!

All this being said: the reflection questions and the commentary in this book hold life-saving value - in the end, it is about making sure it is not about US or exalting ourselves as individuals, and how we get it twisted with a lot of selfish, misguided and popular expressions.

A challenging, thoughtful read, and massive effort on the part of the author.

[Lydia Hughes · Rating 2 out of 5]

A beautifully illustrated and exquisitely presented collection, with an intelligible six week structure. Spiritually and scripturally over my head, even with such a rigorous Catholic education, and vastly different to my usual reading material. But I promised myself that I’d read outside the box this year, and this title certainly adheres to that rule. My search for faith has been a peculiar, turbulent, and nebulous route thus far, and will no doubt evolve into a puzzling pilgrimage to which I’ll be inexorably tied for the rest of my life. I disagreed with much of what this author espouses, however the alternative perspective on virtuous womanhood was interesting, if anything. Godliness is undoubtedly an elusive concept, and heaven only knows (if you’ll pardon the pun) if I’ll ever find a spiritual practice strong enough to sustain and invigorate my restless mind, even in the face of utter hopelessness. There is, however, one thing of which I am absolutely certain: there is no specific image of what religious and spiritual practices should be. God comes to us in many forms, dependent on our individual life circumstances or ethnic backgrounds. Maybe we’re not supposed to understand, but must make peace with the uncertainty of it all. For me, God looks less like a big man in the sky, and more like the way the sunlight streams through my curtains on bright spring weekend mornings, illuminating the sleepy face of a loved one. God is at the bottom of bowls scraped clean, in wildflowers sprouting at the side of the road. In mugs of hot tea, between the palms of my mother’s hands, the shriek of a friend’s jubilation, the bark of an excited puppy, and in the warmth of my father’s embrace. As much as I feel the educational benefits of engaging directly with the scripture of various religions, I do not believe that my God will ever materialise as a tangible thing or person. My God is defined by the very ephemerality and transience of human emotion. I will continue to search for him between the cracks in the pavement, nonetheless.

[Carissa Battle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is incredibly counter cultural to our society. I didn’t agree with some of it but the parts I did agree with was very challenging and made me reconsider and wrestle with my beliefs. I found it annoying how often she mentioned weight gain in a negative way. When challenging pride one of the disciplines was “don’t look in a mirror for a whole day” I think it’s more of a soul issue than just simply not looking at yourself. But grateful for some of the nuggets of wisdom and being pushed out of my brain’s societal beliefs comfort zone.

[Claire Greene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Changed my perspective on so many things- us women are so uniquely created by the Lord but we need to take our eyes off of ourselves as Paige reminds us. The world tells us to live our lives by our rules our standards our desires- we are to abide in His

[Claire Fischer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Practical grace and biblical critique on the self-driven culture. I found this devotional to be helpful for redirecting my worldview and pointing closer to what God ordains as beautiful. Came up in many conversations with friends :)

[Olivia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I tend to think of myself as someone who doesn't care about what other people think but this book pointed out to me the ways that I do care in certain situations.

It definitely challenged my thinking.