Skin Deep

Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes.

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. For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to make themselves beautiful.

1 Peter 1:3-5

While waiting in the checkout line at the grocery store, I am sure you notice the countless of magazines calling out for your attention... telling you how to improve your body and how to use it to get the attention of those you may pass on the street or find yourself working with on a daily basis.

Apparently way too many women are falling for what these magazines advise you to do—get this look and you will be much happier and your love-life will skyrocket. And even though you may know that the lies on these magazines are not true, at times they still lure you in.

What the magazines don't explain, however, is that this longing for beauty goes far beyond being pretty. We want to be attractive, but more for who we are than for what we look like.

The real truth is that external beauty fades over time.

And physical beauty alone isn't enough to make you happy, sustain marital relationship, or give you inner peace. True beauty is timeless, because it comes from inside a woman's heart. Women were designed to be beautiful and that doesn't mean just possessing a perfect body, face, or hair.

Beauty is seen in a woman who confidently reveals her heart and gently nurtures those she loves. She radiates beauty when she loves God with all her heart, mind, and strength, and when she's being the person God made her to be—this is real beauty (See 1 Peter 3:4). A woman's heart should reflect God's beauty, which is more than skin deep.