Becoming Beautiful Inside

We all love to be beautiful.  It is part of being a lady and being feminine.  While it is nice to dress stylish, we need to take a look at what truly is most important to us.  We live in a world where we are constantly concerned with how we look, dress, and measure up to everyone else.  We spend our time figuring out what the latest fashions are and what is and is not in style.  It fills up a lot of our thoughts and actions.  I am by no means saying that dressing well is wrong, but we need to look deeply and see whether our "inside" is beautiful.

The Bible says in 1 Peter 3:3-4, "Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes.  Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight."   I like how the easy-read version puts it, "It is not fancy hair, gold jewelry, or fine clothes that should make you beautiful.  No, your beauty should come from inside you- the beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit.  That beauty will never disappear.  It is worth very much to God."

The beauty of your inner self-  it consists of a gentle and quiet spirit.  What exactly is that?  Dictionary.com gives this definition of gentle-

1. kindly; amiable: a gentle manner  2. not severe, rough, or violent; mild

Verb
1. to tame
2. to mollify; calm; pacify
3. to make gentle 
4. to stroke; soothe
5. to ennoble; dignify

Synonyms
1. peaceful, soothing; tender, merciful.  Gentle, meek, mild refer to an absence of bad temper or belligerence.  Gentle has reference especially to disposition and behavior and often suggests a deliberate or voluntary kindness or forbearance in dealing with others; Meek implies a submissive spirit; Mild suggest absence of harshness or severity, rather because of natural character or temperament than conscious choice; 2. temperate 3. noble 4. manageable, docile, tame, quiet 5. courteous; polished

Just look at all those things we need to be striving for!  That short verse in 1 Peter has a lot of things wrapped up in it that creates in us a beautiful spirit.  I liked that the description in the dictionary of mild was a natural character quality and not a conscious choice.  Wow, that is going to take a lot of hard work to be mild naturally.  I know that I have a lot of work to do to become the lady I want to be.  I desire to have that wonderful beauty that will never disappear, for that my dear friends is worth very much to God.