I Peter 3:3-5
3 Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. 4 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.5 For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to adorn themselves.
Wow. I'm gonna be honest...These verses are a personal challenge for me. Let's be real...I like outward adornment, wearing jewelry, and fine clothes. I've always liked to look nice. I like jewelry, clothes, purses, and shoes.
Does having this stuff mean that I'm un-Godly? Heavens, no! (No pun intended...)
There is nothing innately wrong with outward adornment, wearing jewelry, or fine clothes. The question here is, "Where is your beauty found?" Do you count on perfect make-up, coordinated accessories, expensive purses, your version of a "perfect body", or fancy clothes to define you? Or is your beauty found in who you are and WHOSE you are? The way you choose to see the world. The way you choose to respond to difficult situations. Who you choose to model yourself after. In real-life situations, nice clothes, jewelry, purses, and shoes will not help me see the world the way I should. They will not help me respond to difficult situations in a Godly manner. And those nice "things" are not the measurement of my integrity.
My beauty should come from my inner self.
Now, this does NOT mean that I'm going to start ignoring how I look, dress in unflattering clothing, and stop wearing make-up (that might scare small children!). But I AM going to focus on beautifying WHO I AM, with less focus on HOW I LOOK.
This is my own personal challenge: To be sure I don't overlook my inside in a quest to perfect my outside. In fact, to focus on my inner beauty. To take time to truly reflect on the person I am now and the person I strive to be.
Where do you find beauty?
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