“Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.” Proverbs 31:30
For those of you who know me, you know how much I love flowers. My husband has learned my favorites, and my home is never without a beautiful bouquet – either delivered or handpicked by him. I’ve known him to hop through snake infested grass or cross four lanes of traffic to pick me a daisy. What girl wouldn’t love that? But like most things in life, the beauty begins to fade and before long, what once was indescribably amazing – worth leaping tall buildings in a single bound to obtain – fades, dries up, and is tossed into the compost pile.
Outer beauty is fleeting. Just like the flower, it doesn’t last. What lasts with me is the genuine love my husband extends to me every time he picks my bouquet. It is the same for our own physical beauty. There is nothing wrong with anti-wrinkle products and Sephora lip gloss (well…except the price, but we won’t go there); but, we need to pay closer attention to our inner beauty. It will be forever with us.
For men and women alike who are wise, the most attractive aspects of a person should be love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. If you don’t recognize the list, they are the Fruits of the Spirit. A person who “fears” God – meaning respects Him; obeys Him; loves Him; calls Him his/her Father; stands in awe of Him – now that is the person who is beautiful.
The reality of beauty? There isn’t enough Sephora make-up or perfume or cologne or hair dye to cover up the ugliness of inner rotting, bitterness, and anger.
So, while it is fun to keep our outer bodies looking great – make sure we’re paying close attention to the inner body as well. It is the one that lasts through eternity.
