I was reflecting recently about someone who is physically good‑looking—so attractive that people are drawn to them like moths to a flame. Yet, their character leaves much to be desired.
And it made me pause.
What is the essence of drawing people in, only to push them away through behaviour rooted in a rotten character—selfishness, self‑centredness, an unforgiving heart, and other traits that poison relationships?
The Scriptures give us sobering examples.
Rachel, described as beautiful in form and appearance (Genesis 29:17), lived a life marked by envy, rivalry, and discontent.
Absalom, praised as flawless from head to toe (2 Samuel 14:25), allowed pride, rebellion, and vengeance to destroy him.
Both their stories remind us that outward beauty without inner substance is a dangerous combination. It attracts, but it cannot sustain. It shines, but it cannot keep anyone warm. It draws attention, but it does not build legacy.
Outward beauty and inner ugliness is a contradiction that eventually reveals itself.
It is like a well‑decorated house with a rotten foundation—impressive at first glance, but unsafe to dwell in.
Give me plainness on the outside and beauty on the inside any day.
Because true beauty—ìwà, character—is what endures, what nourishes, what blesses, and what keeps relationships whole.
In the end, “Ìwà l’ẹwà” is not just a proverb.
It is a warning, a mirror, and an invitation to cultivate the kind of inner life that makes us truly beautiful.
Let us be beautiful on the outside and the inside
Adeola Akintoye
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