Beauty

As a face is reflected in water, so the heart reflects the real person. -Proverbs 27:19

Our reflection. We as women look in the mirror to see how we look. We worry about how we look, and we want to change the way we look. But we can look good on the outside and be a mess on the inside. This might be news to some, but a person can have an unattractive exterior and yet have a beautiful heart. Always remember it is the heart that is the true picture of who you really are. That's why the Proverbs tells us, "Above all else, guard your heart, for from it flow the issues of life" (Proverbs 4:23, paraphrased).

Max Lucado wrote a storybook called If Only I Had a Green Nose. In the story, Willy Withit arrived in town. He was promoting the latest and greatest look that would definitely make you "with it." The first "with it" fashion was a green nose, but once everyone got the green nose, it was no longer "with it." A red nose was the new "with it." To keep up, you had to keep moving on from one color to another. Ridiculous? But how can this story sound ridiculous to us when we often are sold the same bill of goods, hoodwinked into going from one silly trend to another?

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Inner beauty. Let's read what 1 Peter 3:1-4 has to say: "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" (NLT).

Live it Out!
In the 1950s, as part of The Mickey Mouse Club, Jimmy asked Mouseketeers if they had "words to grow by." Doreen sang this sweet little song:

Beauty is as beauty does, that's what wise men say.
Now if you would be beautiful, do this every day:
Help someone who's feeling blue. Let kindness be your guide.
For beauty isn't only looks; it's what you've got inside.

The One Year Wisdom for Women Devotional; by Debbi Bryson; November 15; p. 334

It's far too easy to get caught up in appearances. It's important to be healthy - to eat well and exercise - in order to have the energy to do the tasks the Lord has given us to do each day. But when we compare ourselves to others or try to find our value in the numbers on the scale, we are focusing on the wrong thing. Let's work on developing a deeper relationship with the Lord and find our value in being a daughter of the King.

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