BEAUTY IN A JAR?

 

The other day I visited my local "beauty supply store". Billions of dollars are spent by women, and sometimes men, to make themselves appear gorgeous and presentable to those around them. Here I was joining in on spending money on some miracle cream guaranteed to do this or that. It made me think of the verse in Ecclesiastes 1:2(NASB) which says 'Vanity of vanities, says the preacher, vanity of vanities all is vanity.'

There is some truth to that when it comes to our outward appearance. Aren' t people going to like us if we do not put mascara on or wear after shave? Unfortunately in our world appearances are important so this trip to make ourselves beautiful continues.

Our appearance can be marred by disease, war, vehicle accident, strokes, burns, and accidents. If we only place value on our outer shell the what happens if you become scarred? You are still you. Now I am not saying go out gain weight and dress like a slob but only saying we need to concentrate on our "inner self" which ultimately is more important.

The Bible has something to say about this too. Man is the one who judges our "outside" appearance. What is in our hearts is much more important.1 Samuel 16:7(NIV) says '

But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." Aren't we glad there's no beauty contest to be accepted by God? Sometimes "imperfect" people in the eyes of humans have much to offer us. I think of those with a mental illness or Down's syndrome who are often wrongly judged. Matthew 7:1(NIV) warns us about judging others. It says 'don't judge or you too will be judged'. 1 Peter 3:3-4(NIV) is an excellent verse to commit to memory. It says '

Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self,the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.' Sounds good to me, how about you?

What do you say? Go out today and be beautiful for the Lord and shine your beauty of the inner man around to others.

PRAYER: Lord there is much to learn about trying to be beautiful on the inside. I confess at times I have put more focus on my "outward shell" and not enough on the spirit inside of me. I choose today to start working harder on developing inner beauty by reading your word and living for you. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Note: Below are four websites to check out of seemingly imperfect people who conquered what the world would make fun of them for. Check them out and be inspired!

Www.lifewithoutlimbs.org

http://www.craigdemartino.com/#!about/c10fk

http://www.joniandfriends.org/jonis-corner/jonis-bio/

http://roeverfoundation.org/