by Suzanne Niles
Does this make me look fat? I’m having a bad hair day aren’t I! Do you notice anything different about me? These are just a few of the questions that make men want to run for the hills and hide. They know for a fact that answering them could possibly endanger their very existence. Skillfully answered they could end up the hero, but give the wrong reply and it’s definitely the dog house.
Why do we do it? Are we really unsure of the answer or are we fishing? Do we need someone else’s opinion or can we ascertain the truth by looking in the mirror ourselves. Are these questions even that relevant? What if we altered the questions we most often ask to look totally different?
Am I exhibiting self-control in my life? When you see me do I exude joy? Is it obvious that I have Christ living inside me? Aren’t these the things that we should really be concerned about? In fact, why are we here? Is it to win a beauty contest or to win souls? Why do we get wrapped up in the importance the world places on the outward appearance when we should be focusing on the inward?
So, are you an innie or an outie? Most of you may be saying, well I focus on both and that is actually okay. We certainly don’t want to go about sharing the joy of the Lord with someone when we forgot to brush our teeth and put on deodorant. However, we don’t have to have every hair in place to greet someone at the store or share a kind word with those who paths we cross.
How many times ladies have we avoided someone or scooted down the next aisle because we ventured out unpresentable thinking we wouldn’t see anyone.
How many divine appointments have we missed because we just didn’t want someone to see us “looking that way”?
So strike a balance. It is important to be well groomed but put things in perspective. Check your heart before you check your lipstick. I have developed this belief that God allows people to see me the way that He wants me to be seen. He has given us His Holy Spirit to live inside of us and when we allow Christ to have control the beauty that is seen is His. Amazing when you think about it; the God of the universe makes us His temple!
Let’s all be more concerned with the condition of our heart, the warmth of our smile, the kindness in our words and the willingness to help those in need than the impression we make with our physical appearance. Ask any woman who has lived into her senior years…time marches on and leaves it’s footprints on your face! No matter how many creams, cosmetic procedures or units of Botox someone may utilize eventually age will get the better of you. But a beautiful spirit developed from a Christ like heart…that my friends, will reveal the very best of you.
I Peter 3:3–4 The Message
What matters is not your outer appearance — the styling of your hair, the jewelry you wear, the cut of your clothes — but your inner disposition. Cultivate inner beauty, the gentle, gracious kind that God delights in.
