Beauty Comes from Within

It always breaks my heart when I have conversations with women who have been turned off by christians because they have been judged for their appearance. Looked down upon because they wear makeup and/or jewelry. Although we, as believers are not to allow the opinion of others to take our focus off of the Most High and his love for us, when feeling weak, judgements from our, “brothers and sisters” can cut to the bone. The Holy Bible is filled with scriptures which amplify the fact that beauty comes from within. Many believers use scriptures such as 1 Timothy 2:9 and 1 Peter 3:3 to criticize those of us who like to wear pretty sparkly things. In my research I have found that these two scriptures along with many others have historically been misrepresented, misunderstood and gravely misquoted. 1 Timothy 2 is emphasizing the importance of a woman’s actions in contrast to how she looks on the outside. A woman should feel beautiful because she is beautiful, loving, caring, gentle and kind on the inside. This does not mean one is not “allowed” to look fantastic on the outside. 1 Peter 3 also highlights this point, indicating that our beauty as women is not supposed to come from the braiding of hair, the wearing of ornaments and/or the wearing of dresses. Beauty comes from the inner disposition of the heart, the character that someone develops as they grow closer to Christ. I find it very amusing that many believers will recite 1 Peter 3, as a scripture against the wearing of jewelry, while literally wearing a dress. The Holy Hebrew Bible states that, “…the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart,” (1 Samuel 16: 7). So while I appreciate shiny sparkly things, fancy dresses and sweet smelling fragrances, my focus is on the Most Highs word, because it doesn't matter what man sees, beauty comes from within.