Beauty
Let not your
adornment not be of braided hair or gold jewelry, but of the inner beauty of a
gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight 1 Peter 3:3-4
Well, here
we are in a new year. Maybe one of your new year’s resolutions was not to have
any new year’s resolutions. Maybe it was to take care of yourself better. That
can look different for different people. For some it is health and fitness and
for others it is pampering and beauty. For me it is all of the above. The health and fitness I can do better than
the pampering and beauty because it involves self-discipline and fits well into
my perfectionist view of life. Pampering is difficult because there is limited
time and it seems wasteful. Stephen Covey, in the 7 Habits of highly effective people,
encourages us to take care of ourselves in his seventh habit, Sharpen the Saw.
His illustration is a man who is sawing away with a dull blade. Someone
suggests to him that he stop and sharpen his saw so that it works more
efficiently and he replies that he is too busy working to stop and sharpen his
saw. (I still haven’t completely
mastered this concept.) Beauty is a big
piece of pampering. I love the luxurious feel of having someone wash my hair
for me, or help me try a different makeup trick. Apparently I am not the only one who feels
this way because the beauty industry generates millions of dollars a year,
between fashion, fragrance and hair care products and pretty stuff.
I was talking to a
friend yesterday who recommended nutrition and hydration rather than lotions
and gels that may not do anything but mask the bigger problem. Then the deeper
truth hit me that the same thing is even truer in our spiritual lives. When Samuel went to anoint a king to replace
the rebellious Saul, he looked at Jesse’s oldest son and was sure that he was
God’s choice, because he was strong and handsome. God told Samuel that he had rejected him as
king, because man looks at the outside appearance but God looks at the heart. (1st
Samuel 16:7) What can we do to make our
inner selves more beautiful? Ironically, it comes down to the same three things
– fashion, fragrance and adornments (Pretty stuff). Let's look at some of what God says about what makes for inner beauty.
Fashion
Colossians
3:12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe
yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.
Romans 13:14
14 Rather, clothe yourselves with the
Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the
flesh.
Ephesians 6 Put
on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of
the enemy.
Fragrance
But thanks
be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ’s triumphal procession and
uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ
among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are an aroma that brings death;
to the other, an aroma that brings life. 2 Corintians 2 15-17.
Revelation 5:8
And when he
had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down
before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of
incense, which are the prayers of God’s people.
Adornment
Isaiah 52:7
How
beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who
proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to
Zion, “Your God reigns!”
1 Peter
3:3-4
Let not your
adornment not be of braided hair or gold jewelry, but of the inner beauty of a
gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.
Physical beauty will fade and is not worth that much to begin with, no matter what our twisted world view says. Let's work together this year to not just mask the problems but to treat the "Heart" of it.
