Started with 1 Peter 3: 3-4 "Do not let your adorning be external- the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold and jewelry, or the clothing you wear-- but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious."
Imperishable! Why would I want to trade an everlasting beauty for one that is fleeting, temporary and will eventually be dirt! Most girls don't even want to touch dirt!
Precious! My parents (specifically my dad) always said, "You are P&V(precious and valuable) to me!" when I was growing up. That word has so much more meaning to me. To be found precious in the Lord's sight? What more could I want? No amount of attention from any boy could ever satisfy like He will.
I mean think about it! I don't know about you, but I spend a lot (frankly, too much) time thinking about what I look like or what I am going to wear. I spend time getting ready in the morning, picking out the "perfect" outfit for the day, maybe even choosing it the night before, doing my hair, my make-up, shopping for cute clothes, checking my mirror to see if I look presentable, casually looking at myself as I walk past a window or mirror, fixing my hair, reading magazines to be up on the latest trend, and the list goes on! If I spent this much time on my spiritual walk, what would my life look like? I am not saying any of the above mentioned things are bad in and of themselves. Hear me out, I love cute clothes as much as the next girl.lol Compiled together though, our thoughts end up terminating on us way too much. We end up wanting the cutest thing for that season or even looking at other girls we think are "prettier" in terms of the world's standards of beauty and judging them or being envious of what they have, just leading to more sin.
The Lord has offered us so much more. He is offering us attention and affection we long for. Instead we pretty ourselves up in search of attention from a boy who is just a sinful and in need of a Savior as we are. He offers us unfading beauty, while we pile on the clothes that won't even be in-style next year.
So in sum of what I learned from tonight, from the Lord's revelation strictly:
Gaining an eternal, inward beauty is not about us becoming more beautiful by perfecting our works, but about gazing upon Christ's beauty, which we then become so enraptured with that we reflect His beauty and glory.
I have already learned so much tonight, and I was only able to really study for an hour. I cannot wait to see what else the Lord reveals in the next week
Song of Solomon 2:2 "Like a lily among the thorns, so is my lady among the maidens."
May you live a set apart life, day by day, walking in the Lord's peace and joy.
Madi Mae
