FRESH START READERS: We are delighted to share with you a two-week series of devotionals that are the follow-up to We Women’s 2012 annual conference entitled Choices: God’s Answers for Life’s Toughest Choices.
You Are Beautiful
By Jeannine Sawall
But let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very beautiful.
1 Peter 3:4
As women, countless times a day we are given the message, “If you use this product, you will be beautiful.” “If you lose 5, 10, 50 more pounds, you will be beautiful.” “If you wear these clothes, you will be beautiful.” It’s no wonder the beauty industry is a billion dollar business. Nobody seems to measure up! It doesn’t help that even those who are paid to represent beauty are falsely represented. Photoshop does wonders: a little nip there, a little tuck here, change the shape of your face, trim the width of your waist, add some volume to the hair and erase any imperfection with the click of a button.Voila….perfection! It’s easy to buy into the message…we’ll have a better life if we are beautiful.
While the world may tell you the beauty you see in the mirror is what matters most, the Bible tells us a different story. We need to be reminded that how we look through God’s eyes matters above all else. He created us to be a representation of His majesty. Every detail was set from the beginning, even those things we look at and see as flaws—they serve a purpose. If we chose to focus on the inner beauty the Lord sees, we would be overwhelmed. In His eyes, He sees someone who is blessed, beautiful, chosen, pursued, forgiven, defended, accepted, free, delightful, valuable, loved, strong, victorious, irreplaceable, redeemed, secure, carried, known and loved.
We have a choice. We can look at the beauty reflected in the mirror or we can look at our beauty in the eyes of God. When we see ourselves through Him, instead of bowing our head in shame because we don’t measure up, we bow our head in prayer, thanking Him for all He’s done. God finds us no less valuable or beautiful on a good hair day or bad hair day, whether we have smooth skin or wrinkled skin. He is not as concerned with our outer beauty as He is with our inner beauty. He looks at our heart, and when it reflects the person of His Son, He says, “You are beautiful!”
Make the choice to see what God sees the next time you look in the mirror. When you do that, you’ll see a beauty that will never fade away.
GOING DEEPER:
1. Where do you struggle with self-acceptance? Ask the Lord to show you your beauty through His eyes.
1. Where do you struggle with self-acceptance? Ask the Lord to show you your beauty through His eyes.
2. Do you spend more time on “outer beauty” than on “inner beauty”? Which investment of time lasts?
FURTHER READING:
Proverbs 31:30; Song of Solomon (Songs) 4:7; 1 Samuel 16:7
Proverbs 31:30; Song of Solomon (Songs) 4:7; 1 Samuel 16:7
Jeannine is a wife and mother of four active boys. She works in property management and is a part of the Special Events team for Oakwood’s We Women ministries.
