True Beauty, Part 3 - hidden beauty of the heart.

As stated before, the beauty we should be creating in ourselves is Godly beauty.. the TRUE beauty. We see an example of God's definition of beauty here:

..whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; But let it be the HIDDEN MAN OF THE HEART, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.
{1 Peter 3: 3-4}

Our time should be spent pursuing this beauty of the hidden man ..or woman in our case ..of the heart. True beauty is shown through the love of God (not of ourselves) and we can serve Him! This should be the beauty that we choose to cultivate in our hearts. Our inner beauty will never fade.. it will live on through the lives of those we have touched. It remains in us as we get older and our physical appearance fades. One of my favorite examples of a women with Godly beauty is the virtuous woman in Proverbs 31. If you ever have time, you should definitely read about this beauty! It starts in verse 10 and continues to the end of the chapter. Some characteristics of a woman of great inward beauty:

Verse 11.. trustworthy
Verse 12.. supportive
Verse 13-14.. hard working
Verse 15.. caring
Verse 16-19.. wise
Verse 20.. compassionate
Verse 21.. prepared
Verse 22.. attractive
Verse 23-24.. causes good reputation
Verse 25.. optimistic
Verse 26.. speaks pleasant words
Verse 30-31..dedicated

Favour is deceitful and beauty is vain; but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised! {Proverbs 31:30}

True Beauty, Part 2 - being content with your looks.

All this hype throughout the media is pretty much a love of self.. these “perfect” and “beautiful” women are very much into themselves. Some might pour everything they have into their outward appearance. We can become so obsessed with how we look that we forget what is truly important. Beauty can become a form of idolatry if we let it. That is, if we focus more on our appearance than things above. Look at Colossians 3:1-2 and Romans 12:2...

If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.

Be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God.

Our time should be spent on developing a closer relationship with our Father and doing HIS will! Don't go along with the rest of the world in the craze of happiness based on outward beauty. Clothes, shoes, jewelry, make-up, are all things of the earth. Our thoughts should not be consumed with which outfit to wear to the mall, which make-up blends the best, or how much weight we need to loose. Of course, I'm not saying it's evil to think about your appearance or to wear make-up, and I'm not telling you to dress like a slob.. but just be cautious to not let it consume your thoughts! I'm always happy to find a cute pair of jeans or some adorable shoes! (I'm especially happy when they're on sale)

True Beauty, Part 1 - you ARE beautiful!!

There is something seriously wrong with our culture today.. the mindset of the world is completely opposite of what it should be. I am constantly reminded that my hair color is not perfect, my tummy is too fat, my arms are too flabby, blah blah blah. I'm fairly sure that you see those constant reminders, too. Whether it be the billboards you see while driving around, the magazines that you buy, what you see on TV, the movies that you watch, or what you come across on the internet. There is so much pressure on us girls/ladies/young women (whatever you call yourself) to look perfect & radiant & beautiful on the outside just to be accepted, this is even goes on with our peers & our friends.. not just the world! But, the truth is, you are already a beautiful child of God (no matter what the world and your friends have to say about you)! Check this out..

I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvellous are they works; and THAT my soul knoweth right well. {Psalm 139:14}

We are WONDERFULLY made! We should be praising God for his creation and thanking him for blessing us.. not wishing we looked differently or feeling sorry for ourselves because we don't look like our friends!! We need to be pleased with how GOD wanted us to look! If He wanted us to look differently... we would look differently. It's that simple. God is the ultimate artist.. he is our maker and designed us exactly how he wanted! If we have flaws.. its His mark on us. That makes us unique! (you know.. we're a peculiar people anyway!)

Another reminder.. The King greatly desires your beauty! {Psalm 45:11}