"Don't be concerned about the outward beauty of fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry, or beautiful clothes. You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God." - 1 Peter 3:3-4
It’s absolutely undeniable that women can be obsessed about beauty. Wanting to look beautiful is very important. So what does God’s Word say about this? Now, when you read verse 3, at first you might think, “Well, God’s Word is saying that a woman should not be concerned about outward beauty and jewelry.” So, you begin to think, “Is it wrong to want to enhance the beauty that God has given me? Is it wrong to be concerned about external or outward beauty?”
How do we understand this? The key word in the first verse is the word ‘merely.’ Look at what it says. The concern of God’s Word is being excessively focused on outer beauty to the neglect of your relationship with God that brings about an inner beauty. When God put Adam in the Garden of Eden, He didn’t tell Adam, “Let it run wild. Don’t worry about doing anything.” No, He said, “Tend the Garden.” The Garden was already beautiful, but man’s responsibility was to enhance that beauty.
Well, God’s most beautiful creation is woman. So, enhancing that beauty can be a good thing, but when it becomes an excessive focus to the neglect of a relationship with God, then it becomes a very negative thing.
So, what God is calling on a woman to do in thinking about all this pressure on outward beauty? Look again at today’s Scripture. God’s Word is speaking about a type of beauty that is eternal. Let’s face it, folks. No outward beauty lasts forever, but inner beauty does. So, focus most on beauty that lasts forever.
There’s nothing wrong with trying to look beautiful. I’m sure the man in your life appreciates it. But it doesn’t come before seeking the inner beauty that is found only in a day-by-day relationship with God. He can take what common man might not see as beautiful and create beauty beyond compare that grows more beautiful over time. Now, that’s true beauty.
