Inner beauty

Have you ever been around someone that just stands out? The way they dress. The way they act. The way they carry themselves. The confidence they portray.

Sometimes people stand out for the wrong reasons and that is not what I am talking about here.

While volunteering at my sons school one day several years ago I noticed this woman. She was very pretty, well dressed and well groomed. You know the type. She walked with her head held high and her shoulders back. She walked with confidence, like she knew who she was. She stood out.

After some time I got to know this lady and in fact she now is one of my very best friends. Since getting to know her I know why she stands out. I now know why she carries herself with such confidence. I know why she holds her head high and throws her shoulders back. And you know what?  It has nothing to do with the way she is dressed or groomed - though she likes to look nice and presents herself that way.  It is her inner beauty that stands out.

Proverbs 31:30  Says Charm and grace are deceptive, and beauty is vain [because it is not lasting], but a woman who reverently and worshipfully fears the Lord, she shall be praised!

That is what stands out about this friend of mine. She loves The Lord and seeks to honor him with all she does.  And it shows.

I Peter 3:3-5
³ Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. ⁴ 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. ⁵ For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to adorn themselves.

We are told in scripture that God looks at our hearts or our inner self and not our outward appearance.  1 Samuel 16:7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

So my question to you dear reader is, What stands out about you?

Do you spend time every day reading God's Word and getting to know Him better?  Do you pray and communicate with Him often?  Do you allow Him to speak to your heart with guidance and do you follow His leading? Is He Lord of your life and of your home?  Do you reach out to the needy, the lost, the hurting?  Do you offer hospitality to others?