1 Peter 3:3-4 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.

This is a dangerous passage for a man to comment on! However, the truths expressed here are liberating to men and women alike, and they certainly are worthy of being understood and grasped. The world does not generally agree with what Peter says here. There are whole industries (yes, plural) dedicated to physical externals, both for men and for women. The cosmetics industry is just one case in point, and the money and effort consumed by the fashion industry is astronomical. Peter is pointing out the ultimate waste all of that is. It has been going on ever since Eve decided that one fig leaf looked better than another, but that doesn’t make it right. There is nothing wrong with looking nice, but standards of “beauty” have changed drastically over the centuries, and what Peter is talking about is true for all time. Inner beauty, beauty of character and personality, is indeed timeless, and actually can get better with age, like a fine wine. The same can actually be said of men, though men’s fashions haven’t been as much in the forefront as women’s. A physically gorgeous woman posted a video not long ago of her boyfriend proposing to her at the reception of a mutual friend’s wedding. The comments were absurd to the point of being nasty, because her boyfriend was far from the physical specimen that society would expect to go with her physical beauty. Her response was to list the qualities she saw in him that made her value him far above any “hunk” she knew, and made her rejoice to accept his proposal. We need to choose to see as God does. As He told Samuel many centuries ago, “Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7)

I am incredibly blessed to be married to a woman who gets better all the time. She could have been one of Peter’s good examples, had he known about her! She has never been one for much makeup, to the consternation of some of her lady friends. She doesn’t need it, with the radiance of her character. People are drawn to her to the point of real inconvenience at times. She is greatly loved! That such a woman would love me and would choose me above all others is an honor I strive to live up to.

Father, thank You for the wife You have given me. Sometimes I wonder about the “helper suitable for him” bit, because she is far better than I deserve! Thank You for the current health problems that are causing people to express to her the love they have for her. There have been periods when she didn’t feel that so much, but now it feels like Niagara Falls! I do pray for complete healing for her, and I pray that these events will cause people to understand that what they love so much in her is actually You, so that they too may turn to You in repentance and faith, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!