Don’t be concerned about the outward beauty...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. —1 Peter 3:3-4 (NLT)
The worldly lifestyle tends to measure and appreciate people on the surface. We are surrounded by advertisements promoting physical beauty so much, especially for women. That we are oftentimes prone to feel insecure for lacking those qualities. We either respect people who have more physical advantages or worse, we become jealous of them.
In terms of relationships, we do our best to adorn ourselves, hoping to have a special place in someone's heart. Even in a marriage—where a woman has secured her position as a chosen one over so many candidates to be a man's wife—the pressure to maintain physical beauty and outer appearance is still high.
The Scripture today says that our beauty should not come from outward adornment. I don't think that it means we should neglect taking care of our physical appearance. Beauty is a gift from God. We read about some godly women in the Bible such as Sara, Abigail and Rebekah who were renowned for their beauty.
So, what exactly is to concern here? Is it the 'elaborate hairstyle' that requires too much time and attention? Is it the 'gold jewelry or fine clothes' that show the amount of money we might spend unwisely for this purpose? I see it as where our hearts mostly incline to.
According to Apostle Peter, inward beauty is having a gentle and quiet spirit which will not fade and has a great worth in God's sight. It leads me to question myself. Does my presence bring peace to others or evoke anxieties? Do my words build people or hurt them? Do I control others for my own will? Do I pay attention or talk too much?
On the other hand, what is my priority in life? Do I seek for godly things or worldly ones? Do I have a real deep relationship with God and value it? Am I grateful for how unique and valuable I am in His sight? Do I trust Him more than anyone, even more than myself for my security—including physical appearance?
May we have a quiet spirit, an undisturbed one, rooted deeply in Christ, which enables us to serve others gently. Let's set it as our beauty goal. Amen.
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