Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
Today we cannot pick up a fashion magazine without the unrealistic standards of women’s beauty. Women are shaped and re-shaped into something that is wholly unattainable. Women will drop to anything (eating disorders) to try to obtain the results that these women have in magazines. Women will change their hair color, there waist size, get surgeries done to alter their bodies, tan their skin, change their eye color, and complete their looks with fairly expensive wardrobes.
Personally something that I have always struggled with is beauty and finding beauty in myself, and having guys not find me beautiful has always been something that has put me down. I have struggled for many years with weight, with glasses, with weird toes, skin that isn’t perfect, and hair that tends to not lay correctly.
Instead of appreciating God-given, true beauty, our world indulges in the unrealistic expectation for women. In, our day, magazine editors spend thousands of dollars and computer technology to give models an idealized look. In Esther’s day, members of the royal harem spent a full year undergoing beauty treatments in preparation for one night with the king.
Esther was required to undergo these treatments, even though she had “a beautiful figure, and was lovely to look at” (Esther 2:7). The young women possessed natural God-given beauty that has nothing to do with the oil and spices she received while in the harem.
If Esther has focused only on maintaining physical beauty, we probably would never have heard of her. But because she cultivated inward qualities of submission, wisdom, and courage, she is remembered today.
In my life I had this breaking point as well. I figured out if they didn’t like me for my size, my shape, my color of hair, or my unperfected skin then they were of not use to me because they were not looking at my true identity and what made me really me.
The apostle Peter reminds us how important those inward characteristics are, saying, “Your beauty should not come from outward adornment… Instead, it should be that your inner self, the unfading beauty if a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of worth in God’s sight” (1 Peter 3:3-4, NIV)
“Esther had inner beauty, poise, character worthy of admiration, and a winsome spirit. She didn’t gain favor with the king and others by being a whining, moody, pouting, controlling, self-centered, shrewish woman! — Nancy Leigh DeMoss.
This month the pastor and his wife prayed a prophetic prayer over me and God spoke to them that my life on the race is like that of Esther’s. That this year is a refining period of beauty, undergoing a process of makeover, surgeries, and wardrobe changes. That this year will be a year of teaching and raising me up into the person that God really desires me to be. This way that after the race I will be the person he is calling into something new and I will be thoroughly beyond qualified for the work.
This is so true.
Not in the sense of outward beauty but the Lord has been cultivating so many inward qualities. He is completing makeover of my perspective on life, surgeries of my heart and mind, and wardrobe changes of what I have to pull from of my abilities, strengths, and things I can bring to the table.
He has taught me that my weakness are his place to shine, that submission isn’t a degrading thing, the power of prayer is incredible, that it is okay to be broken because he makes us whole, wait to be pursued, Even in the worst moments God is still good, when things don’t make sense you don’t have to figure it out just have faith.
He has taught me to have a sweet, “climb in my lap and let’s talk about your day relationship” with Him.
He has taught me that Love propels, love motivates, and love send you off on a journey filled with delight and joy.
He has taught me boldness, confidence, patience, acceptance, strength, authority, empowerment, vulnerability, and shame is the silent epidemic.
He has taught me to serve his kingdom well and bring light to the darkness.
Holy crap the amount of things that He has taught me just in the last few months reveals to me that I have no clue what he will teach me in this new season but I am expecting something crazy.
So like Esther this is my time to shine and make my mark in the nation!
So here’s to the World race being my cultivation period of inward beauty!
