Beauty Secrets

In the ever evolving business called beauty we are encouraged to buy this, do that, don’t wear that and apply this treatment. It gets very confusing especially since the standard for beauty keeps changing.

“Don’t totally line your eyes it makes them look smaller, do line your eyes completely it makes them stand out. Put Vaseline on lips for shine – no don’t use Vaseline because it will dry your lips” are just a couple of the confusing messages. Wear bangs, don’t wear bangs, skinny jeans or wide legged jeans, A-line skirt or pencil skirt? Whose is right or wrong? Ugh – who do we believe?

If you’re totally confused then maybe we should look at some advice that has never changed from the time it was first written in the first century.
“What matters is not your outer appearance –the styling of your hair, the jewelry you wear, the cut of your clothes – but your inner disposition. Cultivate inner beauty, the gentle, gracious kind that God delights in. The holy women of old were beautiful before God that way.” I Peter 3:3-4 The Message

The New King James version says, “your incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit.” There was a time I felt that I’d never be able to meet this standard of beauty either. We mistakenly interpret this to mean someone who by personality is calm, cool and collected and has no strong opinions or need to express themselves. Gentleness is really a virtue born out of the strength to know the right time to speak up with the appropriate tone of voice and respectful words.

This gentle and quiet spirit is one “at rest”. There is no “strife” in this spirit because they have found their center in God-- their emotional needs satisfied by God alone. They have found their identity in Christ and not their fluctuating performance or outward beauty. They have quit comparing themselves with others and have learned to accept themselves as fearfully and wonderfully designed by the Master Designer. They are at rest with who they are and peace and contentment exude from their spirits in the form of inner beauty that shines warmly on all around them.

There is no grasping or groping for position or power. There is no frantic busyness to prove their worth. They have learned the joy of mutual submission to God and others and gladly live within it.

This kind of beauty seems to elude most of us too because our fallen nature is tuned to our culture instead of the Kingdom of God. The best beauty treatment we can have is time in the Sauna of God’s presence and His Word. It does wonders in bringing out the very best it us. It doesn’t cost thousands of dollars – just minutes of time with Him.

One thing is needful for inner beauty – sitting at His feet soaking in His presence and learning of Him. Outer beauty will fade but inner beauty will only be enhanced as we stay in His presence.