Real Beauty
“Do not let your adornment be merely outward – arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel – rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.” I Peter 3:3 – 4 (NKJV)Girls like to look pretty. That’s part of our feminine nature that God created in us. It’s good to want a pleasing appearance, to be neat and clean and nice-looking.
But some girls go to great extremes to do what they think will make them beautiful and attractive. They often spend a lot of money on clothes, cosmetics and jewelry and wear the latest fashions, even if they are immodest. The sad part is that for all their efforts, they’re rarely satisfied with their appearance.
It’s not wrong to wear jewelry and pretty clothes. But our Bible verse tells us that our appearance is much more than that and we should not over-emphasize what’s on the outside. It is the kind of person we are on the inside that is most important, what the Bible calls “the hidden person of the heart”.
Our culture is overly concerned with what we can see on the outside. Even if you buy the most expensive name-brand clothes, fashion trends will change. And though we spend much time and money on our face and hair, our bodies will grow old. The world’s idea of beauty does not last.
What is God’s idea of real beauty? These verses tell us our adornment should be “the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.” This inner beauty does not fade; indeed, it improves with age as we mature and grow in spiritual graces. And, it is very precious in the sight of God.
We have each been created in the image of God and we are precious to Him. This beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit is very precious to Him; it is something of great worth that we can work to develop in our character.
What does it mean to have a gentle and quiet spirit? Gentleness is one of the fruit of the Spirit. A gentle person is kind, gracious, and even-tempered. Jesus is gentle and tenderly loves us.
A quiet spirit does not mean that we never speak above a whisper! The Greek word used here for quiet means a tranquility that arises from within a person, regardless of what is going on around them. We are to develop a calm, tranquil spirit.
These qualities do not come naturally or easily to most of us. Since they are so important to God, and He places great value on them, we need to work on cultivating them. By God’s grace, and with His help, we can have this genuine beauty.
It really doesn’t matter if we have no money to spend on clothes and trips to the beauty salon. We may think our looks are rather plain. But we will shine with true beauty when our inner person reflects these Christ-like qualities.
Copyright, 2001, 2009 Laurie Latour.
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