Hope on the Street

Unfading Beauty

1 Peter 3 v 3
‘Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. 4 Instead, 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.

We live in a world today that is obsessed with appearance and outward things, there is so much interest in plastic surgery and other ways to become more beautiful. Some people go to great expense because they cannot stand the way they are and think a change of appearance will make them feel better. The passage above is about the relationship between a man and wife but can equally apply to relationships outside marriage and the danger of dressing ourselves outwardly and forgetting who we really are. Being a Christian is all about being honest with God and ourselves about who we really are and what we
are like inside. Jesus said, clean the inside of the cup and not just the outside.

On the radio yesterday there was a report about the women who convert to Islam in the UK every year,and I wondered why anyone in today’s culture of material things would want to do so. An interview with one young woman convert we very revealing of her motives and perhaps gives insight to some of the pressures young people( and older), especially women, face. The convert said she enjoyed wearing the Hijab as she no longer had anything to prove when she was wearing it. She said people could no longer see or judge what she was wearing or her body. She could be herself and it felt a real release and freedom. I wonder if this is the only way to be released from the tyranny of having to prove yourself in our society that judges us on how we look and what we do, rather than who we are?

I am reminded of the latest Narnia film, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, which is full of Christian imagery. One of the main characters Lucy is unhappy with herself and her appearance, so much so she cannot accept herself and wants to be like her sister. She judges herself and yearns to be this person she imagines is perfect and who has everyone’s admiration. One night she has a magical dream and becomes her sister and she is pleased at first, but as the dream goes on realises that there is a cost. If she is not there and not herself that alters everything, the way people react to her and others in her past history. Without Lucy as herself the world misses out, others miss out, her influence on the world is lost. Lucy’s uniqueness makes a difference. Each of us is unique and we make a contribution to our community, church, family that only we can make. Do not underestimate how special you are! The need to be accepted and loved without condition is a deep human need and the good news is that God knows this and his answer to us is Jesus. Jesus came and accepted everyone, not on the basis of the outward appearance or social standing or wealth. On the basis of the heart, what they were really like inside. To be accepted as you are in spite of all your faults is a wonderful thing. It is a shame some women feel unaccepting of themselves, when there is inner beauty inside them that they may not be aware of that only God can bring out. This applies to men as well, so much of advertising is aimed at making men feel inadequate so that they buy the latest health and looks improving product. How about you? Have you found that acceptance in Christ that the Bible speaks of, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight?