“To me, a lady is not frilly, flouncy, flippant, frivolous and fluff-brained, but she is gentle, she is gracious, she is godly and she is giving. You and I have the gift of femininity… the more womanly we are, the more manly men will be and the more God is glorified. Be women, be only women, be real women in obedience to God.”
Elisabeth Elliot
"Your adornment must not be merely external—with interweaving and elaborate knotting of the hair, and wearing gold jewellery, or [being superficially preoccupied with] dressing in expensive clothes; but let it be [the inner beauty of] the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality and unfading charm of a gentle and peaceful spirit, [one that is calm and self-controlled, not overanxious, but serene and spiritually mature] which is very precious in the sight of God."
1 Peter 3: 3-4
A gracious woman should be "Easy to Look At".
Of course this phrase could be interpreted in a myriad of ways, for “What you see and what you hear depends a great deal on where you are standing.", observed C.S Lewis, "It also depends on what sort of person you are.” I certainly don't mean this to be in the current, cultural way of the world. In that sense there is an overemphasis on external beauty, a pre-occupation with self and a sensual or extravagant way of dressing. When I say, "Be Easy To Look At" I am speaking about beauty that comes from the inside out. I am referring first and foremost to the "hidden person of the heart" that we read about in 1 Peter 3:3-4. After that fact, I am most definitely also referring to our physical appearance, which is an unpopular topic to some, but one I think is important for us to discuss as Christian women and image-bearers of God. But we will get to that in the next letter.
A lovely demeanor starts with the heart. It grows out of a relationship with the Lord and spills over into how we carry ourselves. You know, dear daughter, that I've always loved flowers. You share my love for their delicate details. Like in all things we have our favourites and the ones we are not so fond of. Geraniums used to be the latter, for me. They always looked so dismal and pathetic to me. That was until we moved to a new neighbourhood a few years ago. There the plots were small, with large houses taking up the entire yard, leaving no space for gardens. Except for one house with two large pots sitting on both sides of the front door, spilling over with some of the most beautiful pink and red flowers I had ever seen... Geraniums! These flowers were not sad and dismal-looking at all, they were absolutely lovely! I marvelled at them every time we drove past that house on the way home. It was clear to everyone passing by that those flowers were tended to regularly and with loving care. Those flowers taught me that seemingly unlovely things can become lovely in the sight of all, with time, care and a desire to create something of beauty. It truly reminded me of how we are to be "the fragrance of Christ"( 2 Cor. 2:15).
Before we even give any attention to our physical appearance we already have an atmosphere about us, budding from within. That atmosphere can either be like pockets of sunshine or stormy skies. No amount of make-up or fancy, trendy clothes will hide a fretful, worried, critical, complaining spirit.
The "imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit" grows out of a love for the Lord and a commitment to His Word. It is by spending time studying God's Word, growing in the love and fear of God, that we grow more and more into His likeness. By abiding in Christ we are able to grow in all the beautiful virtues we are called to as daughters of God.
"And they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.'
Acts 4:13
I love how Spurgeon put it,"The best life of Christ is His living biography, written out in the word and actions of His people. If we were what we profess to be, and what we should be, we would be pictures of Christ. We would have such a striking likeness to Him that the world would not have to say, 'Well, there seems to be somewhat of a likeness to Christ!' Instead, when they saw us, they would exclaim, 'He has been with Jesus! He has been taught of Him. He is like Him and has caught the very idea of the holy Man of Nazareth. He works it out in His life and every day actions."
We, as God's virtuous women, should become pictures of Christ's love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control" (Gal.5:22-23) as we grow in maturity in Him. The opposite of these virtues will show up in our lives all the same.
A frown of worry, the scowl of impatience, the downcast look of a depressed spirit, the brooding face of self-pity...
We should make every effort to "put on the tender mercies of God" (Col.3:12-14) and allow those mercies to envelope the ones we love and interact with every day.
"Those who look to Him are radiant and their faces shall never be ashamed."
Psalm 34:15
Comments