Beautiful in God’s Eyes Day 6: Beauty by God’s Standards
Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear—but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious. (1 Peter 3:3-4, ESV)
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:10, ESV)
Read Proverbs 31:10-31
We’ve talked a lot about the beauty standards that the world has set for us, but what does God mark as beautiful? Beauty by God’s standards radiates from a person’s innermost being and shines on others. Beauty is not in a person’s appearance but in their character. When we look at beauty as a character trait, we’ll begin to see that the Bible is full of beauty tips.
Tip One: Create a new measuring stick. As we’ve discussed in days prior, for too long we have been using the world’s ruler to measure our beauty. Instead, let us create our own by looking to the ultimate guide: the Bible. God has gifted us with His Word, and it is overflowing with guidance on how to radiate beauty. Dig through Scripture and learn from the examples that riddle the pages. Read of Christ and seek to mimic His beauty.
Tip Two: Start working on your heart instead of your body. While taking care of our body is important, our focus should not be on our appearance. We are, after all, beautiful exactly as we have been made. Instead, we should be focused on making our heart beautiful. We should begin to remove our old selves and emerge new with the help and guidance of the Lord. Instead of filling our minds with unrealistic standards, fill them with the Word of God. Live and breathe His truths. Seek to be more and more like Christ, and see how you are transformed. Learn from the Proverbs 31 woman: clothe yourself with strength and dignity, knowing that you are fearfully and wonderfully made. Pour out love, kindness, and compassion on all with whom you come into contact. Put in the work, and I guarantee you will see yourself differently.
Tip Three: Be confident in who Christ has made you. It’s not even a question at this point: You are beautiful. You are uniquely created in God’s image, and no matter what the world tells you, God tells you that you are beautiful. Carry yourself with confidence. As you allow God to mold you into the person He created you to be, you will find that confidence comes naturally. You can walk in confidence, knowing that you are His and there is nothing that anyone can say or do to take that away from you. Feel the burden of societal pressures lifting from your shoulders and hold your head high.
My challenge to you today is for you to spend some time analyzing the Proverbs 31 woman. Read what Scripture tells you she is capable of and how she carries herself. When you’ve taken a moment to consider her, pause and speak with God. Ask Him to help you become more like Christ and begin to show the attributes of this Proverbs 31 woman. He alone is able to help you, and He wants to. Now, let’s get to work.
