Timeless Beauty

Looking in the mirror seems to have become a sometimes painful experience, especially if there's florescent lighting, for many women.

If you're close to my age, no I am not going to tell you my exact age, you might be able to relate. If I live to be 90, I am at the half-way point.

In my mind I'm still somewhere in my 30's, and it's a bit of a surprise to see my reflection-with added weight and wrinkles. I use a number of beauty products that promise me a youthful appearance, but to no avail. I'm getting older but also, hopefully, wiser.

Recently I was talking with a friend of mine, who just left her 20's; about how she was aging gracefully. I told her how I thought she was getting more beautiful as she got older. She had a very wise reply. She had recently looked in a mirror and told herself that this is as good as it will get, and that is why her mother concentrated on developing a beautiful character.

This gave me food for thought. It reminded me of a verse in the Bible that says, "Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting " (Proverbs 31:30). Am I more concerned about how I look on the outside, chasing something that I'll never catch, than being beautiful inside? Am I spending time and effort on developing my character?

How can we become more beautiful inside? In contrast to looking beautiful on the outside, which is temporary and impossible to maintain, there is a section in the Bible that talks about inner beauty, which is timeless:

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).

This doesn't mean that we can't wear gold jewelry or fine clothes, but that we shouldn't focus so much on the outside that we neglect our inner self. We can develop a gentle and quiet spirit. Truthfully, I struggle with this daily, having independent, forthright and sometimes harsh tendencies. However, I still try to please God with my thoughts and attitudes, and with my words and actions. I spend time with God by reading my Bible and talking with him. I ask forgiveness when I've wronged Him or others. And He takes my baby steps and works with me, and in me to make me more beautiful. He's committed to my transformation, to making me more like His Son. He'll work with you too if you ask, to give you the ultimate makeover.

I encourage you the next time you look in a mirror and aren't happy about what you see, to remember that even as we age, we become more beautiful. Beauty products can help us to look our best, but what's really important and of great worth in God's sight; is being beautiful on the inside and having that beauty bubble up and overflow to the outside.

Cultivating character will lead to ageless beauty.