Cultivating Inner Beauty

Chapter 3 focused on the lies that women believe about ourselves. The lies discussed were self-worth, rights, inner longings, loving oneself and physical beauty.  I'm not sure if it's due to the season of life I'm in or being a recent college graduate but this chapter struck a special place in my heart - particularly the lie that physical beauty matters more than inner beauty.

As I walked across campus at Iowa State as a freshman, I remember being in "awe" of the beauty that surrounded me. Beauty of the scenery and of the fellow female students. I felt like around every corner there was an attractive woman who seemed to have it all. The designer clothes, perfectly curled hair and glowing skin. As shallow as it makes me sound, I thought those women had it all. I strived to be like those women. Tucked away in the comfort of my dorm room, I often found myself delaying studying only to be consumed by online shopping for clothing that was too expensive for my college-student budget. I desperately yearned to be like my peers.

My thoughts on beauty were incredibly skewed. From an early age, every where I turned culture painted the picture that physical beauty was what mattered most. Achieving outward beauty would to lead me to happiness. This lie originated from Satan deceiving Eve. The fruit was "pleasing to the eye" - physically attractive. God created this beautiful fruit so its beauty wasn't the issue. The problem arose when Eve placed undue emphasis on its external appearance, forgetting the fruit was poison and not to be consumed.

I've dealt with the deception of physical beauty for quite some time. I've always been self-concious of my appearance. I remember telling my husband numerous times while we were dating that I wanted a nose job. A nose job! He thought I was crazy and now I know why. I needed to remind myself that God made me in His image and I was perfectly beautiful in eyes.

The pursuit of physical beauty is an elusive, unattainable goal. My longing for beauty kept me in bondage. The only way to break free was to seek God's Word which proclaims the Truth about the transitory nature of physical beauty and the importance of pursuing lasting, inner beauty.

These verses from 1 Peter in The Message translation perfectly illustrates the way to cultivating inner beauty.

3 1-4 The same goes for you wives: Be good wives to your husbands, responsive to their needs. There are husbands who, indifferent as they are to any words about God, will be captivated by your life of holy beauty. What matters is not your outer appearance—the styling of your hair, the jewelry you wear, the cut of your clothes—but your inner disposition.

4-6 Cultivate inner beauty, the gentle, gracious kind that God delights in. The holy women of old were beautiful before God that way, and were good, loyal wives to their husbands. Sarah, for instance, taking care of Abraham, would address him as “my dear husband.” You’ll be true daughters of Sarah if you do the same, unanxious and unintimidated.

As a married woman, who has been renewed by the Holy Spirit, my goal is to achieve the outward appearance of a Christian woman, specifically the Proverbs 31 wife. I want to be a compliment to my husband and dress in a way that is orderly, reflecting my pure and simple heart.

"Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised." - Proverbs 31:30

One of the most beautiful woman I've ever had the pleasure of meeting is my grandmother. To this day, her most used accessory is a shining smile. In my twenty-four years, I've never heard her say anything ill towards anyone. Her heart reflects her relationship with the Lord and she has made the gospel so attractive.

In my recent trip home, I visited her in the nursing home. As I entered the single-bed sterile room, I found her sitting in her recliner with a Bible by her side. Her face beamed when realized who I was. Even at the age of eighty-nine with a deteriorating mental state, her love for the Lord is present and with age she has become even more beautiful. I look up to her my role model and hope to develop strong relationship with the Lord as she did.

Cultivating my inner beauty is a constant growing process. I still long for those adorable but pricey boots and the sun kissed skin. As each day passes, I work to mirror the image of the gospel in my heart, just like my grandmother did.

Today, let's remember that the most important beauty is from within - a beauty is enduring to our Heavenly Father. Always remember you are a beautiful woman of God.