One of the joys of homeschooling our children is that we can take time to teach, mold and shape them not only in academics but in their spirituality. We can spend as much time as we feel necessary in helping them be the children of God that He desires them to be.
Becoming dominant in our culture, in America today, is our physical beauty. And not only for females but for males too. Americans spend billions of dollars every year on cosmetics, beauty treatments and plastic surgery. American culture is obsessed with how we look, from the top of our heads to the tips of our toenails. And our culture is ready to pay any price to be younger, darker, larger, smaller, firmer and smoother. But, we as Christians need to keep teaching our children, who are being raised under this pressure, where the best beauty treatment is found. It isn’t found at a make-up counter, at an expensive spa, or even “under the knife”. It is found in a book—the BIBLE.
In the book of First Peter it says, “Do not let your adornment be merely outward—arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel—rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God. For in this manner, in former times, the holy women who trusted in God also adorned themselves”.
Little is said of the physical qualities of the woman in Proverbs 31, but we do draw the conclusion that she had a pleasant appearance. But what is more important than appearance…what is really important to God, females or males, is our character. And God emphasizes that for us in Proverbs 31—trustworthiness (v.11), hard work (v.13), business instincts (v.16), generosity (v.20), creativity (v.22), initiative (v.24), and strength (v.25).
It is not her outward appearance that makes her beautiful, it is the make-up of her heart that we are to strive for. Fight to battle what the world is telling our children…use the time you have them at home to help them see that the inside is so much more important than the outside. Strive for beauty in our children…not the beauty that the fallen world wants us to have but a beauty that comes from deep within our hearts…pure, gentle, quiet and in the image of Christ.
Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised. Proverbs 31:30
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Jun. 22, 2006 - Untitled Comment
Sin has ravished the idea of beauty, contrary to what God had originally planned. When we looked at his creation He was pleased. When He looked at the creation of the woman He was overwhelmed with pleasure. How perfectly exquisite Eve must have been.
Yes...you are right. In this dark age, we are chasing something we can never have. Time, gravity, age all works against us. But, cultivating the beauty of a spirit and heart turned toward God is the only way for us to achieve our desire for beauty. The WORK part of it, though, is God's. If I take on the weight of causing change within myself I am destined for failure. When I allow God to work in my life, surrendering even my desire for beauty over to Him, only then will I begin to move toward my goal.