Women

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Think About It


How much time did you spend today to look nice, ladies? No, really. Think about it. Let's see, there was time in the shower cleansing, exfoliating, bathing, shaving, shampooing, and conditioning. Then time after, applying lotions, potions, moisturizers, creams, mousse, hair gel, hair spritz, hair spray, toner, eye cream, masques, depilatories, foundation, concealer, eye color, blush, lip stick, lip liner, lip gloss, nail polish, mascara, eye liner, deodorants, perfumes, and colognes. We also use all kinds of appliances to make ourselves beautiful - hair dryers, hot rollers, curling irons, hair straighteners, tweezers, buffers, stairmasters, treadmills, free weights, and ab rollers. Heaven only knows how much money all that stuff costs!

And then there's our wardrobe. Skirts, blouses, undergarments, pantyhose, girdles, body suits, pantsuits, jeans, dresses, suits, sweaters, sweatshirts, socks, sweatpants, windsuits, slacks, t-shirts, shoes, shoes and more shoes! Winter clothes, summer clothes and transitional clothes. Fat clothes, skinny clothes, in-between clothes. Dress clothes, casual clothes, business clothes, grunge clothes. And don't forget our jewelry - rings, bracelets, necklaces, watches, earrings. Again, heaven only knows how much all that costs!

But the question is - is all that really important? There's nothing wrong with looking nice. The Proverbs 31 woman was "clothed in fine linen and purple" (verse 22). But did you know that that is the only description we have of the way she looked? Everything else describes her character and her activities. (Don't be overwhelmed by her though, she didn't do all that stuff everyday, and the Word says she had servant girls!).

Paul echoes that in 1 Timothy 2:9, "I also want women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, but with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God." I don't interpret that to mean that a woman can't look nice, but not to place more emphasis on her outward appearance than on her inner self.

My grandmother was watching a soap opera one day when I was a little girl. There were two very beautiful women on the show, one who was good and kind and one who was not. She told me as we watched that the evil character was "beautiful on the outside, but she sure wasn't beautiful on the inside." How simple and yet how wise.

I once watched a secular movie called "Shallow Hal." In the movie, Hal was only attracted to beautiful women, and didn't associate with anyone who wasn't a supermodel. He meets up with super-self-improvement-guru Tony Robbins who hypnotizes him into seeing on the outside what women are like on the inside. Hal ends up falling in love with a very sweet and kind girl whom he sees as gorgeous, who is in actuality grossly overweight. Other characters who are by the world's standards unattractive, Hal sees as beautiful because that's the way they are on the inside. And the characters who are evil, Hal sees as being physically unattractive. If only we could have that same ability!

But you know, that's what God sees. In 1 Samuel 16:7, the LORD said to Samuel, "The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." Should we not put our priorities where God puts his? Also in Proverbs 31:30, the Word says, "Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised."

Do you want to be a woman that God says deserves praise? Think about it...

How much time did you spend today making yourself beautiful on the inside? Did you spend more time on your hair than you did in prayer? Did you spend more time on your wardrobe than you did in the Word? Did you spend more time picking out pins and watches than in praise and worship?

My sweet Sunday School teacher Elaine tells us that the Word will wash you. You wouldn't go without a shower for several days in a row - why would you go without a Holy Spirit shower every day?

Did you spend any money this week making yourself beautiful on the inside? Did you spend money on a new Stephen King novel or the latest Max Lucado book? Did you spend money on a new outfit from Donna Karan or a new Bible study by Beth Moore? Did you buy tickets to a Guns and Roses concert or a Woman of Faith conference? Did you go to a day spa or a ladies' retreat? Did you buy another pair of black shoes or another praise and worship CD?

Let's face it, ladies. Investing in a worldly wardrobe will pale in comparison to our heavenly wardrobe. And despite all we do to make ourselves lovely here on earth, nothing we do can compare to what changes will be made to our bodies in Heaven. Philippians 3:21 says, "The Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body." Ain't nobody in this world ever called my body "glorious," so I'm fired up about that! How about you?

I know that what I really want is to be like the good soap opera character my grandmother observed that day. I want to be beautiful on the inside and on the outside. But if it came down to a choice between the two, I'd want to please my Father and be beautiful on the inside. After all, that's what He sees. And in the end, isn't what He sees more important anyway?

Think about it.

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