The average person,
especially women, likes to be described
as beautiful, and usually it is physical beauty (color of the eyes, hair,
height, apparel, makeup). It is good to be beautiful physically, however,
physical beauty should not be our focus, because it is short-lived, most of the
time. We have it one day, and then we don’t. Beauty fades as we grow older and
have ill-health. We should strive for beauty that does not change even when our
circumstances change. The book of Proverbs cautions us this way, “Charm is
deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be
praised” (Proverbs 31:30 NIV). The key phrase is: ‘fears the Lord.’
The fear (faith, reverence,
and obedience) of the Lord makes one wise in one’s approach to life, which
leads to transformation of heart and mind that leads to the beauty of the inner
person. No matter what circumstances we find ourselves in, the inner beauty is
not altered, as long as we continue to fear the Lord. According to the Scriptures,
inner beauty should be our focus and ultimate goal, because He says, “I am the
Lord your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy” (Leviticus
11:44 NIV).
The apostle Peter puts it
this way, “Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided
hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be
that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit,
which is of great worth in God’s sight.
For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God
used to make themselves beautiful” (1 Peter 3:3-5 NIV).
As we work on looking
beautiful, let’s not forget to work on our inner beauty as well, because that’s
what God has in mind for us. Let’s do all it takes to be inwardly stunning!
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