(Re-Post)
There’s all kinds of ways to be beautiful. And there are all kinds of ways to be ugly. But our true beauty lies far beneath our skin. Sometimes it is hidden by a self-made prison, condemned by our acceptance of an unconscious label that we may carry. Sometimes we struggle to be beautiful by someone else’s standards.
(We have to watch that.)
Sometimes the struggle is to be strong, intelligent, thin, buffed, handsome and of course, pretty, and no matter what – never, ever TIRED (ha!). Sometimes we struggle just to be.
And if we come up short, well…we might wrestle with those labels too. You know the ones that try to stick to us like glue.
But God has a different standard for beauty. And we would do well to adhere to it.
“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.” 1 Peter 3:3-4
Sadly, there are some women I see who are walking around in 6 inch heels that are clearly uncomfortable. I can tell they’re not comfy by the bent over stature of the woman, or the way she limps (kind ‘a on the sly) while she’s walking.
I ask myself, why? Why would a person wear something that is so obviously uncomfortable? For the sake of fashion? For the sake of others?
Personally, I like wearing comfortable clothes and shoes. I like wearing jeans and sweat pants. But I also know how to wear dressy clothes when the occasion calls for it, yet even still, they need to be comfortable. I’m all about the comfort. And I’m not going to walk around all day in high heels just because I think I look my best in them or fashion (or somebody else) dictates that I should.
Nope. I’m going to wear my heels or wear my sneakers, I’ll exercise when I want to, and rest when I don’t. I’ll clean and moisturize my face, and if I don’t feel like putting on make-up – which is ninety percent of the time – then I won’t. And that will be good enough for me.
Now, God’s not saying that you shouldn’t pay attention to your outward appearance. Of course you should. You should never walk out of the house dirty and unkempt. But your true beauty should not be on the outside, but should come from within. Where the heart is. That’s where it counts the most. That’s where God looks when He wants to find the beauty of a person.
So, I challenge you. Whatever you do to beautify your external appearance – do twice as much to beautify the internal.
If you’re like me and don’t spend alot of time applying make-up and such, then that just leaves you all the more time to spend beautifying the inside!
Are you up for the challenge?
