where lies your beauty?

During my time in Portugal, I have been contemplating the type of beauty that our western culture values. Particularly, what our society deems necessary for feminine beauty. Is it long hair, high heels, painted nails, perfectly applied make-up, a skinny body, just enough skin showing, hair color, unique clothing, jewelry?? What confuses me more is the way that we, women with intelligent minds and good intentions, spend thousands of dollars/euros attempting "to be beautiful".

"Perhaps we are being driven toward goals and objectives without always understanding why. Or we may not be aware of the real cost to our minds, our bodies, and, of course, our hearts."-Ordering Your Private World

I have been looking through some sources on concepts of beauty, and I find very little evidence that it is outward adornment that captures the essence of what it means to be feminine and beautiful. This is not to say that I think it is wrong to wear make-up or look to buy a new pair of heels. But maybe it is time for us to take a step back, to assess in which things we place our treasure. What treasures have we that hold eternal value?

I Peter 3.3-4 "Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious."

How much time do we spend seeking after a quiet spirit, one which is not shaken by the trials of each day? Is our inner space given more importance than the persona we want to project?

Some principles from Proverbs 31...A woman who fears the Lord is trustworthy, hard-working, caring, wise, strong, generous, compassionate, kind...strength and dignity are her clothing. She is a truly beautiful woman.

When Solomon spoke of his love's beauty, he spoke of her physical form, the shape of her cheeks and the tower of her neck, and her eyes as doves...captivating his heart. The Artist shaped our every part, calling our form beautiful and complete. What can be added to a masterpiece?

From Anne Morrow Lindbergh's Gift from the Sea we find: "I want first of all...to be at peace with myself. I want a singleness of eye, a purity of intention, a central core to my life." And to our dismay, "for the most part, we, who could choose simplicity, choose complication." But what if we were to transform our inner being? "Is your sea-shell house not ugly and bare? No, it is beautiful, my house. It is bare, of course, but the wind, the sun, the smell of the pines blow through its bareness."

And lastly, words written from a father to a daughter. John Quincy Adams wrote "Think of no other greatness but that of the soul, no other riches but those of the heart."

(to all my wonderful friends, who seek to cultivate the indescribable beauty growing within.)