Inner Beauty

“For women who claim to be devoted to God should make themselves attractive by the good things they do”

1 Timothy 2:10



In our weekly staff meeting yesterday we began discussions about Mother’s Day (which is only 6 Sundays away) and what we wanted to do to celebrate our Mom’s this year. This morning I was praying for the women in our church and especially our Mom’s who remind me of a quote I really like, “inner beauty needs no makeup”, and yet the beauty industry does multiple billions in annual sales. I read an article that said the average woman spends over $15,000 over the course of her lifetime on cosmetics which reminded me of a teaching on marriage where the pastor was speaking about inner beauty verses external beauty and said humorously, “Even a barn looks good with a fresh coat of paint.” The point he was making was about where women should place their emphasis. Do we focus on our inside or the outside?

The apostle Paul writing to Timothy, his young protege about priorities wrote, “Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come.” I’m pretty sure that the apostle Paul was thinking about men here but the truth would apply to women too. Focusing on the inner person of the heart applies to us all. The apostle Peter who himself was married has something to say about true beauty too when he writes specifically to women, “You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God.” Point being, true beauty lies within.

Proverbs 31 is a familiar passage that defines a virtuous wife and is important to note it was spoken by a woman, not a man, who was teaching her son what to look for in a wife. She said in verse 30, “Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last; but a woman who fears the LORD will be greatly praised.” In other words she was telling her son to look beyond a beautiful face as it were when searching for a wife and look for beauty that is more than skin deep.

Here’s my point, men and women aren’t born with inner beauty, inner beautiful is cultivated over time and that makes it possible that even as we age the more beautiful we can become for the simple fact, inner beauty never gets old. As one wise women has well said, “The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen."

“We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.”

2 Corinthians 4:7


I LOVE YOU!