A Brief Note of Encouragement
Sister, come on in. Grab a cup of coffee. Have a seat. Listen to me very closely:
You are a woman of incorruptible beauty.
No matter what the world tells you real beauty should look like. No matter who is on the cover of the trendiest magazine. No matter what the mean girls said to you when you were in high school.
You are a woman of incorruptible beauty.
No matter how that outfit fits you today. No matter how much that bad haircut gives you a perpetual bad hair day. No matter how unkempt you feel as you look at the Instagram of the latest beauty influencer.
You are a woman of incorruptible beauty.
Even though you believe you are the least put-together mom in the car line. Even though your shoes are less fashionable than those of the woman sitting in the row behind you at church. Even though your co-worker’s latest highlights give her that flawless summer look, and you haven’t had your hair professionally done in 10 months.
You are a woman of incorruptible beauty.
Even though you compared your non-workout physique to your friend’s sculpted body yesterday. Even though you are rarely complimented on your outward appearance. Even though the mom next to you gave you a sideways glance as you fed your children cheeseballs for a snack instead of organic, sugar-free granola bars.
You are a woman of incorruptible beauty.
Even if I’ve never seen you, I can say you possess beauty. Imperishable beauty. The type of beauty that no one can ever strip from you.
Why?
your beauty comes from the Lord.
1 Peter 3:3-4 tells us that our adornment shouldn’t solely be our outward appearance, but instead, it should be the hidden person of the heart.
A heart that yearns for the Lord. A heart that trusts in Him. A heart that desires to know Him more deeply.
A heart wherein its satisfaction, value, and worth come from the Lord produces an incorruptible beauty in the form of a gentle and quiet spirit.
This type of beauty doesn’t change with the trends. It’s not validated by the amount of Instagram likes it receives. It doesn’t go out of style.
“So the King will greatly desire your beauty; because He is your Lord, worship Him.”
A quiet spirit is incorruptible beauty.
Quietness means there is rest, peace, and calm. You can focus on the Lord in quietness. In the quietness of the Lord’s presence, you drown out the noise of the world shouting what “true beauty” is. This quietness means you are “undisturbed from without”.
As you lead a quiet life, keeping your focus on the calling the Lord has placed in your own life, you honor Him (1 Thessalonians 4:11). Because you see— this “hidden person” is not really hidden. She is not hidden from the Lord. He sees the inner place of your heart; the quietness of your soul.
A gentle spirit is incorruptible beauty.
The gentleness you portray in your thoughts, actions, words, and deeds is beauty in the sight of others. Because you desire to be gentle and lowly in heart, like Jesus, you are beautiful. In this humility, you find rest for your soul (Matthew 11:29).
A fear of the Lord is incorruptible beauty.
In your humble fear of the Lord, you glorify Him. And, let it be known that incorruptible beauty exudes from within you when you glorify Him.
Because you seek the Lord, yearn for Him, and get to know Him better, you are a woman who fears the Lord.
Because you fear the Lord, your beauty is hidden inside the deepest depths of you. It is precious to God.
You, yes you, are precious to God.
And your beauty can never be stripped away.
Your reverence to your Lord is incorruptible beauty. Your respect and biblical submission to your husband is incorruptible beauty. Walking out the fruit of the Spirit in your parenting is incorruptible beauty. Honoring the Lord in your quiet time is incorruptible beauty.
“Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, But a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised.”
Sister, today I encourage you to know your worth.
Understand your value in the Lord. Meditate on the fact that you are a daughter of the King. Remember the mercy He sheds and how His grace abounds in your life.
sister, today I exhort you to look in the mirror.
Look in the Lord’s mirror– this morning; before you go to bed; tomorrow; next week. The reflection He provides you with outshines whatever standard of beauty the world is dying to impose upon you.
The world’s charm is deceitful and its definition of beauty is ever-fleeting. Don’t give in to these things.
No– today, purpose to wear your quiet and gentle spirit well. Fashion yourself in the fear of the Lord.
Can you see it, sister? Do you see yourself in the mirror?
You look like someone who is precious in the sight of God.
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