Being Beautiful Inside
Hello hi, welcome back! I hope you’re all doing well. It’s been a little while since the last blog, so I am super excited to be posting today.
At the start of January I started making my way through the New Testament, and I am really enjoying it so far. I don’t think I have ever read the New Testament straight through from start till finish. I’ve read different books, and of course bits of books - but never Matthew to Revelation straight. It’s so interesting, I am loving reading and seeing the different personalities of the disciples. The Bible is actually so relatable. For those looking for somewhere to read in the Word I thought it might be helpful to share the 90 day New Testament reading plan so I’ve linked it below :)
Anyway, onto today’s topic - Being Beautiful Inside. Not sure about you but I think in today’s world it’s so easy to be consumed with the external stuff. There’s so much pressure to look a certain way, and to be approved of by the world. And I think this constant focus on the outer appearance can be such a distraction from what really matters. And I think for me personally I’m in a season of life where I’m realising that who I am is so much more than the way I look. And this is something that I’ve known and heard for the longest time, but I think it’s really becoming real to me that who I am on the inside holds a-lot more weight than my outer image.
Whilst studying my Bible the other day I was reading Matthew 23, where Jesus was talking to His disciples and the crowds about the behaviours of the scribes and the Pharisees. And something that Jesus said really stood out to me, in verse 27 He says…
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness.” (Matthew 23:27).
I read this and THE CONVICTION. I remember growing up when I would read this scripture it would always stand out to me, but I feel like in today’s culture and in my current season of life it stands out even more. I think we live in a world full of “whitewashed tombs” - a people that will do the absolute most to ‘fit’ in with what the world says is beautiful, but neglect the beauty of the inner man. Just take a look on Social Media - everything is about how we look, the clothes we wear, how attractive you are. We focus so much on the exterior that we ignore what it means to actually be beautiful.
So what does it actually mean to actually be beautiful - to be beautiful from within?
The Bible says in 1 Peter 3:3-4, “Do not let your adornment be merely outward - arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel. Rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.”
This scripture tells us that TRUE beauty is found in the hidden person of the heart - the complete opposite to what the world says. Whilst the world tells us to flaunt ourselves, to be SEEN, to glorify the outer beauty, to base our worth on the approval of man - Jesus says that beauty is actually found in the ‘hidden’ person. It’s found in what isn’t seen with the eyes.
And it make sense, because when I think about the women that I look up to who radiate so much beauty in my eyes - although they hold so much outer beauty, it doesn’t end there, they have a deeper depth to them. And they have that depth to them because they have hearts that are surrendered to Jesus. Their beauty has little to do with the exterior and much to do with WHO THEY ARE. And they are who they are because of Jesus.
And so I guess that’s where true beauty lies - in a heart that is truly surrendered to Jesus and that loves all that He loves. A heart that loves Him and His people.
Jesus tells us that the two greatest commandments are first to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” And the second to “Love your neighbour as yourself.” (Matthew 22:37, 39).
When we love Him, He moulds us, He changes us and adds unto us fruits of the Spirit, like gentleness - these fruits that make us beautiful from the inside. And when we are changed by Him, we love His people. Going back to those women I mentioned earlier that emulate real beauty in my eyes, one of the traits that they all have is their genuine love for people. Their kindness and willingness to love others is what shines, and makes them stand out - not the way they look.
Now before I finish I just have to mention - this is not me saying don’t look after yourself outwardly! I have heard of women that have read this scripture and have decided to take it to the absolute extreme by not wearing jewellery, not doing their hair - which I personally most definitely DO NOT believe in - LOL! I am all for making the best out of yourself externally and maintaining the outer beauty that God has given us all. My point is just that it can’t be the focus, it can’t be what defines our worth or our beauty.
So I encourage you to ask yourself, as I too ask myself - what do we depend on to make ourselves beautiful? We can’t be so consumed and distracted by trying to be outwardly beautiful that we have forgotten the main thing? The main thing that, in the end all that will matter is building His Kingdom and leading others to Jesus, which in part is done through allowing the beauty of Christ shine through us - from the inside.
As mentioned I have linked a New Testament Bible reading plan below, because if we’re going to be beautiful from the inside we’re gonna need to be in our Word! I also have linked a book that I read a while ago called Captivating, it talks about Godly femininity, and kind of links to today’s topic. I hope that these recourses are helpful to you. I pray that you have been able to relate and have been blessed by this post - thanks for reading, byeee :)
“Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout is a beautiful face on an empty head.” - Proverbs 11:22 (MSG). LOL! I know that this scripture is referring to a woman without discretion, but I think it can relate to today’s topic too - don’t be a pretty face with an empty head or even worst an ugly heart!
LINKS
New Testament in 90 Days Reading Plan - https://www.purposedriven.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/11263-pdl_a_bible_reading_plan-90days-2012a.pdf
BOOK LINK (Captivating by John & Stasi Eldredge) - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Captivating-Unveiling-Mystery-Womans-Soul/dp/1400225280/ref=asc_df_1400225280?mcid=04ba3a664e1a33edbcbe91a2fafabdb9&th=1&psc=1&tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=697292848274&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=8731460244679790767&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9045539&hvtargid=pla-1186462513623&psc=1&gad_source=1