Perfect Beauty

Our lesson last night in my teenage girl class at church talked about outer beauty. We've had a couple of such lessons focusing on pressures to be thin and beautiful, and what the world's idea of a beautiful woman is.

As I've sat and listened to these girls talk about the pressures--not only from friends but even from their own families--to be thin, my heart breaks.

It's no wonder that our girls can't love themselves just as God created them.

I've heard..their hips are too big, their tummy is too big. Their teeth aren't straight enough, their nose is too big. Their eyes are too close together, their eyebrows are too bushy. They are too tall, too short...the list goes on and on.

As grown women, we are not immune to this ourselves. All around us on tv and magazine covers we see 40, 50 and 60 something women who don't look a day over 25. Then we look in the mirror and see the sags, bags, wrinkles and gray hair and wonder what in the world is wrong with us!!

In the world's eyes, I'm in desperate need of shedding about 40 pounds..at least...getting a face lift (among other things lifted..), a new hair cut and a serious dye job. Then, of course, in accomplishing that, I'll need a new wardrobe and who knows what else to make me feel like a real woman..an acceptable specimen of the female race.

Frankly, I'm fed up with that mentality.

In studying my lesson for my class, I came upon this scripture in 1 Peter 3: 1-5--

"In the same way, you wives must accept the authority of your husbands. Then, even if some refuse to obey the Good News, your godly lives will speak to them without any words. They will be won over by observing your pure and reverent lives. Don't be concerned about the outward beauty of fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry, or beautiful clothes. You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God. This is how the holy women of old made themselves beautiful. They trusted God and accepted the authority of their husbands." NLT...(emphasis mine)

I can't find anywhere in God's Word that He emphasizes outward beauty. It's always about inward beauty--having the fruit of the Spirit and living a life that mirrors Christ.

True beauty comes from a gentle and quiet spirit--not a loud, boisterous, look-at-me personality.

I'll be the first to admit, I like to look nice outwardly. But, to me, that means clean clothes that fit. Tidy hair and a happiness from within that is so strong it beams outward.

I've notice that when I'm on the same page with God, when I'm in His will..no matter what I look like outwardly--I still feel beautiful!! It's because that kind of beauty is coming from the Holy Spirit and that is perfect beauty. You can't buy that kind of beauty in the cosmetics aisle or at the beauty salon or under the knife of the best plastic surgeon in the world!

When we let go of the world's idea of beauty and get on board with God's idea of it, we'll notice a change in our attitude and that will flow over into our relationships. It will cause us to stop having bad hair days and then taking that out on everyone we meet.

I challenge you to pick up your Sword today and find some verses on beauty. Study them and commit them to your mind and heart and begin to live God's version of beautiful instead of the world's.