The Power of Beauty Within Us
“It is not fancy hair, gold jewelry, or fine clothes that should make you beautiful. No, your beauty should come from within you—the beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit that will never be destroyed and is very precious to God.” – 1 Peter 3:3-4
How others think of us can hurt us especially when people say mean things about us. Our words have the power to encourage or tear others down. What people think can affect us in a positive or negative way. However, when it comes to what people say, Christians really should look at what God says about them first. It is difficult to do since we cannot see God or interact with Him but see and interact with people more. People can be opinionated about the looks of people particularly when they do not fit into the world’s view of beauty. Luckily, God is different from the world. He sees the inner beauty of the heart.
When a person is controlled by the Holy Spirit, He allows others to see a person’s beauty from within. It similar to how God sees a person’s inner beauty. He sees their heart, and it shows in how they treat and in what they say about others. I have heard this from another Christian, “who wants to be around a person who is mean and who is always critical of how a person looks?” For me it can be hurtful when someone talks about a person’s weight, or if they have a big nose, or if they have scars. No one really knows why a person is struggling with their appearance. They could have no money because their spouse left them or have a health condition.
God is the one who created each person. He did it in their mother’s womb (Psalm 139:13). Before the fall, humans were not ashamed of their bodies. They roamed the earth naked. Adam did not care about Eve’s outward appearance in the Garden but her heart to serve God. Unfortunately, the snake tricked them into eating fruit from the tree God told them not to (Genesis 3:1-13). As a result, they became aware of their nakedness and so ashamed that they hid from God. They realized their nakedness and imperfection, breaking their previous innocent communion with God. It is an unfortunate consequence of sin. Now humans struggle with their body image where before, humans did not care.
Prayer for the day:
Dear heavenly God,
Thank you for caring about our inner beauty. You see our hearts because You gave us the ability to be beautiful with help from the Holy Spirit. Thank you for Jesus, and what He did on the cross. Because of Him, we can have a relationship with You. We need Your power to see others the way You do since we struggle to see due to our sin. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen!
