Concerning Real Beauty, Brethren

Perhaps it is only my circle of "Twitter" friends, but I have noticed something a bit off-putting in the way some of my brethren have been speaking about their wives. I know that they do this in an attempt to honor their wives, but in their speech, they actually give them less honor than they deserve and might even debase them by accident.

I have noticed that it is now in vogue to "tweet" about how "Smoking hot" our significant others are. Truly, I am delighted when a brother believes his wife is super-abundantly attractive. However, this sort of language might be best left to the intimacy between spouses than it is for public consumption on Facebook or Twitter. Before you dismiss me as a prude, let me explain.

First, you do not gain anything by this public declaration. You will never convince me that your wife is prettier than mine on the grounds that you are dead wrong. Secondly, your continued public appraisal of her "smoking hotness" seems to objectify her in only sexual terms. Protest all you like, this phrase does not carry the same freight as words like "beautiful" and "lovely." If the only way you know to praise your wife's physical beauty is by such language, you should probably spend more time with the poets and less time absorbing the language of Budweiser commercials.

Consider this as well, brethren. Physical beauty, or smoking hotness, is not the greatest praise you can offer your wife. It is not, ultimately, what she wants to hear about if she is, indeed, a true beauty. Why? Read this carefully:

Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.
Honor her for all that her hands have done,
and let her works bring her praise at the city gate. (Prov. 31:30-31).

I think that my wife is the most beautiful woman among ten thousand. It isn't only because I find her eyes seductive, her curves glorious, and her hair as beautiful as a king's crown. It is because she fears the LORD that I give her the highest praise and her love of the King provokes my highest admiration. The works of her hands in her care of our children and her service to Christ's Church are far above all the accolades I can give concerning her smoking hotness.

Yes, you ought to tell your wife that she is smoking hot. You should tell her many, many things that are none of my business. But we should not give the impression to her or to the public that her smoking hotness is the attribute we cherish most. I thank God, above all else, that my wife loves King Jesus. My wife fears the Lord, and this is a beauty that outshines the rest.