Beauty is Only Skin-Deep

^"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."    *** 

(1 Peter 3: 3-4, NIV)

The phrase "beauty is only skin-deep" means that physical beauty is superficial.  We can "paint" our faces and "do up" our hair,  all in an attempt to make ourselves look better.  And, in most cases, it works.  You may see on TV where photo shots are taken of celebrities out in public without their makeup.  The media thinks this is newsworthy.  So what?  We all have to take our makeup off  sometime.  Their skin needs a breather, too!

Growing up in a very legalistic, religious environment, we girls were not allowed to wear pants (only under a dress), use makeup or cut our hair beyond a certain point.  There are several denominations that will literally take this verse to mean that women's hair can not be cut or jewelry can not be worn.  What this verse really means is that your inner beauty should be more important than your outer beauty.  If your heart is ugly, it doesn't matter what you do to the outside, you're just not going to be a very pretty person.

There are individuals who may never win a beauty contest based on outward appearances, but their kindness and personality take over when you're around them.  You see their inner beauty.  You can often tell a person's mood by their facial countenance.  Are you meek?  Are you gentle?  All these things are important to God---not if your face is on the cover of a magazine. 

God made our bodies---He likes what we look like.  However, we are responsible for taking care of them.  But, more importantly, we're responsible for what our heart and soul look like.  Take care of the inside---the beauty will shine to the outside! 

***The above Scripture was taken from Sunday, Dec. 19 designated reading.