To My Children,
You are very beautiful. There is no doubt that God made a masterpiece when he made you. But I often find you worrying too much about the way you look. I know you want to look nice and present yourself nicely to others, but God says outward beauty is not the most important thing about you.
Outward beauty perishes. As we age, our skin wrinkles, our hair grays, our chin sags, our joints get knobby. Many people look in the mirror and wish they could erase the effects of time, but that is simply not possible. The Bible says all flesh is like grass or the flower that fades—it is new and vivacious for a brief moment; then it withers away.
When God was choosing the man who would be king after Saul, he told the prophet Samuel to find him among the sons of Jesse. Samuel saw the first son, who was tall and handsome, and thought, surely, he must be the new king. But God anointed David as king—the son who was least in stature and ruddy in appearance; the one who no one else would look at and think, He is king material. Man looks at the outward appearance, but God looks at what’s more important—the heart.
Before you start to think I’m against makeup and fashion, let me say that we were born with an innate appreciation of the beautiful. We can all see a rose or a sunset, a painting or a person, and recognize the beauty in them. But that beauty is meant to point us to something greater. It should inspire awe and wonder at the One who made such beautiful things—whose power, creativity, and intricacy of design had the idea for such wonderful creations, and also the ability to bring them into existence.
Our outward beauty is meant to put the awesomeness of our Maker on display. And we can do this, not by dolling ourselves up and primping with products to put all the attention on us, but by showing people the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious (1 Peter 3:4). There’s nothing inherently wrong with spending some time on our appearance, but is the reason we put on makeup or style our hair or wear a certain outfit to get people to notice us or our God?
Proverbs 31:30 says those outward things don’t matter and are prideful if they’re just meant to draw attention to ourselves. The thing about a person that should be noticed and praised is a person’s fear of the Lord—not a boastful “look at me” spirituality but one that shows God is worthy to be reverenced and awed.
I am not against thoughtfully and moderately accentuating the beauty God created us with. But, I want you to stop and consider some things the next time you look in the mirror: How much time are you spending on cultivating your outward appearance versus your inward appearance? How much time do you spend on Bible reading and prayer each day versus the time you spend on hair, makeup, or clothes? How much time do you spend getting ready to go to church on Sunday mornings versus how much time you spend preparing your heart for worship? When people meet you, what do they notice most about you—your looks or your joyful and kind attitude?
Remember that a woman who spends more time beautifying herself inwardly by developing godly characteristics will be more beautiful than what thousands of dollars of beauty products and hours in front of the mirror can buy.
I love you. Grow in godliness and in your love for God.
This article was originally published at https://lifeword.org/blog/letters-to-my-children-beauty/
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