Oh, the joys of aging in a world that adores youth! I don’t know about you, but when I focus on the emerging wrinkles around my eyes, or the gray roots that need to be touched up, or even the sagging skin left after many pregnancies, I walk away from the mirror, less than satisfied.
That old saying that, “beauty is only skin deep,” may be true, but even so, most women want to be thought of as beautiful. I would like to turn that phrase on its head just a little; true beauty comes from within and shines outward. Aging beautifully comes from a life lived well, not Botox, facial serums, or just the right makeup.
No matter how beautiful a woman is on the outside, if she is snarky, full of complaints or bitter, those qualities will speak loud and clear. A man may be fooled for a little while by long lashes and even longer legs, but any man of quality will find that kind of woman less than satisfying very quickly.
On the other hand, a woman that is full of joy and wears a smile as her main accessory is going to be like honey to a bee, full of sweetness and nourishment. When a woman is encouraging and grateful, focused on blessing others, she enriches the souls of those she is around.
Does outward beauty even matter then? Yes, and no. If by beauty, one means taking care to be attractive and fix ones self up, then yes. The Proverbs 31 woman dressed in rich apparel. Esther allowed herself to be fussed over for months before being presented to the king. Rebekah, who would become Isaac’s wife was attractive to behold.
However, focusing on beauty as one’s primary source of worth will always leave a woman unsatisfied and searching for more.
From God’s perspective, beauty is a blessing that He gives and that can be stewarded and enhanced, but our identity should be found in Christ. He is our worth. He is our purpose. He is our all in all. Everything else is subordinate to Christ and to His purpose and plan for our lives.
Here are some verses to ponder as you think about how you pursue beauty in your life this week:
~ 1 Samuel 16:7 “But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”
~ Ecclesiastes 3:11 “He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.”
~ 1 Timothy 2:9-10 “9 likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, 10 but with what is proper for women who profess godliness—with good works.”
~ Galatians 3:26-27 “26 for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.”
~ Proverbs 31:30 “Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain,
but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.”
There is nothing wrong with wanting to be beautiful or trying to be beautiful, but if your priority is beauty then you are missing the mark. Ultimately, beauty is vain. It is like chasing smoke. We will all grow older, and part of that is losing the beauty of youth. A woman can be beautiful and classy at any age, but the depth of beauty, lasting beauty, comes through clothing yourself with Christ and walking in the fear of the Lord.
