Growing Beauty

“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.” (I Peter 3:3,4)

What if there was a product out there that made people more beautiful each year? The product could make an eighty year old woman look more beautiful than she did when she was sixteen years old. The company producing this product would earn billions of dollars and every woman would flock to this product to hold onto their youth. Unfortunately, because we live in a fallen world, our bodies will eventually decay. It does not matter how many plastic surgeries we get. We will eventually look like an eighty year old.

But do not get discouraged yet. What if I told you that there is a prescription for beauty that does not fade but grows every year and lasts forever? The prescription is free for every woman! Beauty that grows with the passing of time comes from God who originally created beauty. However, godly beauty is not the same as beauty that the world seeks after. The world seeks after physical, outward beauty that is self-absorbed. True godly beauty does not come from elaborate hairstyles or fine jewelry. “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 Peter 3:4)

What is a gentle and quiet spirit? Have you ever met someone who, by the world’s standard, may not be considered beautiful but she turns out to be one of the most loving, beautiful woman you know? It is the inner heart of a woman that makes her beautiful. I will never forget meeting Delanna during a mission trip in Indonesia. She was on my team to help the tsunami victims deal with the trauma of losing their homes, families and friends. Indonesia was in rubbles and there were tents everywhere.

Delanna was in her 70’s and she had just recovered from a stroke. She was paralyzed on the left side of her body and her body was frail although her spirit was alive and well. She and her husband committed a year of their lives to live in Indonesia. In the sweltering heat of a 3rd world country she wobbled on the streets with her cane eager to be the hands and feet of Jesus to people. To this day, I have never met a woman more beautiful than Delanna. If God blessed me with a girl, I already know what her name will be.

A woman with a ‘gentle and quiet spirit’ knows she is beautifully created and loved by her heavenly Father. She is content with the way He made her and she uses her beauty not to attract people to herself but to attract people to the Lord. As the years go on, she is more in love with her Heavenly Father and she becomes more like Him. She has wrinkles around her eyes and mouth from laughing at the days to come because she knows her Heavenly Father will take care of her. Her hands and feet are wrinkled from diligently serving those around her. She is truly at peace with herself.

Do you know that you are created with a beauty that grows more lovely each year?
Edna Lee

 

 

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