Growing up in the south I remember my mom always saying, "pretty is as pretty does." Another popular one was "beauty is only skin deep." When my Uncle Larry would hear that he would always say, "but ugly is to the bone." I always thought he was so funny and he made me laugh a lot! I was going to say we should try to forget that part but maybe not. Haven't you ever thought someone was attractive after you got to know them? Their personality just made them more attractive. The opposite can be true also. You might think someone is attractive until you get to know them.
We all have something we would like to change about ourselves. Our hair, our build, our height, our weight, our skin color, our emotions, our intelligence level, our personality, etc. Our society makes us feel we should look and believe a certain way. We try to change our outward appearance to gain love and acceptance. This won't work!
God made us exactly like He planned us. He planned our hair, the color of our eyes, our build, our weight, our skin color, our emotions, our intelligence, our personality, etc. In Genesis 1 He proclaims that we were made perfect in His sight!
1 Peter 3: 3-4, "Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, 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." This does not say that we can not wear nice clothes or wear jewelry. Thank goodness! It just means that our beauty should come from within, not from what we are wearing. True beauty comes from something much deeper within.
I do not mean to sound like an infomercial for the Walk to Emmaus but it is what I know and experienced It could be other things. I have seen people come back from this 72 hour spiritual retreat and they physically look different to me. They did not have a face lift. Their hearts were transformed! I believe that your inner spiritual beauty will reflect in your face. No amount of primping will ever compare to what Jesus can do for us. Gazing at Him will allow His beauty to work in us and shine through us! The outer shell is just a shell!
1 Peter 3: 4, "Rather, 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." I think one of the biggest compliments I can give someone is to say they have a gentle spirit. This is what this verse is speaking of. A graceful soul. When we have a graceful soul we are trusting what God is doing in our lives even when we can make no sense of it. A quiet spirit says we are no longer living in fear and this frees us to be at peace even in the midst of difficult circumstances.
Where can we get some "graceful soul"? Where can we find true beauty? God has it for us for free! It is free for the asking. He never runs out! He gives us the grace we need to trust Him. He gives us His spirit to quieten down our hearts in a chaotic world.
Song of Songs 4: 7, "You are altogether beautiful, my darling; there is no flaw in you."
I needed this today ! Thank You!!!!