I've always loved this verse. I think I see something new in it everytime I read it.
1 Peter 3:1-4
The same goes for you wives: Be good wives to your husbands,responsive to their needs. There are husbands who, indifferent as they are to any words about God, will be captivated by your life of holy beauty. What matters is not your outer appearance—the styling of your hair, the jewelry you wear, the cut of your clothes—but your inner disposition. Cultivate inner beauty, the gentle, gracious kind that God delights in.
How can we cultivate inner beauty?
I know the obvious answers are...read our Bible and pray. Of course, very good things!!
Let's look at it though in light of our current world.
Are we not daily screamed at as women to be outwardly beautiful?
To matter, you must be THIS size and THAT height with your hair and makeup on just so.
If God delights in gentle, gracious beauty, I think we should too.
I don't think it's UN-important to look good, but I think that (outwardly) beautiful-but mean and angry women are not beautiful at all.
Adding the word "grace" or "gracious" to beauty really ramps it up.
A beautiful woman is gracious. She shows grace to others AND especially to herself.
Are you gracious with yourself?
Are you gracious with your family?
Here are some other words for "gracious":
Elegant
Graceful
Refined
Merciful
Courteous
Obviously absent are things like: complains, resentful, angry...
Of course... and this could turn into a whole book...if we don't feel this (grace) for ourself, it will be very difficult to give it to others.
I think this verse is a powerful key to us walking in God's grace towards us and living loved:
Ephesians 3:16-19
I pray that from His glorious, unlimited resources He will
empower you with inner strength through his Spirit.
17 Then Christ will make His home in your hearts as you trust in Him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong.
18 And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love is.
19 May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. NLT
Receive His love and grace for yourself and out of that freedom, your life will show inner beauty!
There will be no pressure to "have your own way" and "right every wrong."
Forgiveness flows freely when we live forgiven.
God loves you. Cultivate inner beauty by living loved.
Your marriage will be stronger for it.
Praying for our marriages,
Sue
