This is one intriguing topic I've got to write on. The more I write the more elaborate it becomes. But like they say "what is worth doing is worth doing well ." right?
We live in a society where much emphasis is placed on outer beauty than our inner beauty. We get so crazy about how we appear on the outside than we do on the inside.
TV stations, bill boards and magazines all display physically attractive people through adverts that could make one feel like you don't look good enough.
Then, there is the social media angle that glorifies the outward beauty much more than the inner beauty.
It has kind of set the standard for beauty with numerous beauty tips given online and surgeries performed on daily basis all for the need to enhance the external beauty.
All these have become so challenging especially for those who want to feel up to par. It presents unrealistic expectations for those who look up to them especially with the younger minds.
And has affected the self esteem of so many people especially the young ladies who feel without the outward beauty their self worth is nothing.
A lot of frustrations and personality complex has also set in to the point that people do not really know who they are anymore.
Women are the most caught up in the endless search for external beauty without paying attention to the inner self.
We all want to be beautiful and feel beautiful. We feel great when complimented on how good looking we are physically and there is nothing absolutely wrong with this.
In fact, its good to look great physically but while we are at it, let's not forget what is of more importance and that is our inner beauty.
You can have a good impression and presentation of yourself physically or outwardly but all these would be useless if the inner beauty is nothing to write home about.
In all our looking good on the outside, it is what is on the inside that matters most. The outward beauty fades with time as the years go by but the inner beauty never fades. It radiates from the inside reflecting on the outside.
Looking beautiful on the outside is great and important as it is what mostly attracts at first but what's on the inside is what counts the most. The inner self can either keep the attraction going or repel people from you.
You can have all the beautiful things money can buy like jewelries, the best and most expensive weaves on, the best brands of cloths and other material things that make you look beautiful externally but without the inner beauty, all these are utterly useless.
When someone says to you that you have a beautiful heart or soul, they are simply saying you are beautiful on the inside. Your inner beauty is what radiates from the inside to the outside and keeps you beautiful all year long.
We especially women spend so much time trying to have the perfect hair on, the right shades of make up, adorned with the most expensive and good looking jewelries as well.
But our beauty is not found in the cloths we wear, the jewelries we adorn ourselves with or the exotic hair styles we have on.
1 Peter 3:3-4 says "Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of gentle and quiet spirit which is of great worth in God's sight."
While the world measures beauty based on external things, God measures your true beauty from the hidden person of the heart.
Surprisingly, so many people do not even know what makes them truly beautiful from the inside or what their inner beauty is all about, hence the need to enhance the physical beauty as their utmost priority.
One major reason why people find it difficult knowing their inner beauty is because they don't really know who they are.
Discovering who you are is knowing who you are, your dreams, visions, purpose in life, strengths and weaknesses, your innermost thoughts, feelings and so on. It is more about being you and not trying to be someone else.
Once you are able to discover who you are, then you would know what your inner beauty is and start building on it.
WHAT MAKES YOU BEAUTIFUL ON THE INSIDE
There are so many things that truly make one beautiful from the inside and they include;
A GOOD HEART : A good heart is never difficult to spot. You know a good heart by what it says or does.
"A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say, flows from what is in your heart." (Luke 6:45).
Even if a person tries to pretend to be what he/she is not, time will always reveal the true nature of that person.
A GENTLE AND QUIET SPIRIT : Having a gentle and quiet spirit does not mean you become a door mat, or that you are weak, timid and a slave or a fool to others.
The outward disposition of a person does not even determine the nature of that person's spirit. A loud and boisterous person can have a gentle spirit while a quiet person on the outside can have a turbulent spirit.
That's why in most cases, its surprising to hear or see that a very quiet person on the outside who looks so calm and gentle commits suicide.
Having a gentle and quiet spirit is something we all must learn to cultivate and develop over time and as it is developed, it becomes a reflection of who we are on the outside.
One major way to do this is by feeding our hearts with God's word on daily basis and applying them in our everyday lives as we interact with people.
A gentle and quiet spirit has to do with the state of the spirit of any individual and not our outward behaviors.
A gentle spirit is one that is of a sensitive disposition, kindness prompted by love and set only on God. Simply put, a gentle spirit is power under control.
It is not perturbed when things don't go as planned. It is ever willing to cause a change positively in the lives and hearts of people and produces kind words that can quench the harshest of words.
A gentle and quite spirit is always at peace no matter what is happening around or the prevailing circumstance because it knows it is connected to God. It is undisturbed and always at ease, irrespective of the storm.
1 Peter 3:3-4 says "Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty a of gentle and quiet spirit which is of great worth in God's sight."
SELF CONTROL : Self control is listed as one of the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). Self control is not letting our desires get the best of us or letting it get ahead of us.
Self control can also be seen as discipline. Exercising discipline over your emotions, anger, fears, frustrations, words, unnecessary cravings, pleasures, doing what is right even when you don't feel like it and so on.
It is more of a sacrifice of what we love for what we love much more. Its like sacrificing your cravings for a better body structure in your weight loss journey.
"It is not good to eat too much honey, nor is it honorable to search out matters that are too deep. Like a city whose walls are broken through is a person who lacks self control." Proverbs 25:27-28
Self-control is one form of character quality that helps keep you godly and then takes you far in life. It also prevents you from being unproductive and ineffective in life. It helps you build other areas of your life like patience, temperance, godliness and so on.
"For the grace of God that bringeth salvation has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age..." (Titus 2:11-12).
SPIRITUAL MATURITY : Just as we grow and mature physically, same thing is required of us physically.
While physical maturity is guaranteed, spiritual maturity is not because it becomes something we do consciously and deliberately.
"Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation." 1 Peter 2:2.
We may have began the christian journey as babies or infants but we are not permitted to remain so but to keep growing and become mature spiritually in the Faith.
A spiritually mature christian is one whose character, disposition and words reflect Jesus Christ. It is seen in our relationship with God and how we interact with people around us - Ephesians 5:1-2
Spiritual maturity is as vital as the air we breathe in everyone's life and at such should be considered as a priority. It is not enough to be called a christian and hang on the fence spiritually.
When we become mature as Christians spiritually, we are not easily deceived by false doctrines or prophets neither are we tossed about like immature babes in the faith - Ephesians 4:14
PERSEVERANCE : Perseverance is continuously doing something even when it seems difficult, delayed or like its yielding no results.
It is having patience and endurance in achieving a thing. In trying to achieve a goal, we come across setbacks or obstacles but being persistent and consistent is key.
We all experience one form of setback or the other in one way or the other. Be it in our personal lives, in the pursuit of goals, in our relationships with friends, relatives and partners yet pressing on despite the setbacks is what we call perseverance.
But while we go through all these struggles and setbacks, it is important to note that we are not alone but that God is with us through it.
"We are experiencing all kinds of trouble, but aren't crushed. We are confused, but we aren't depressed." 2 Corinthians 4:8.
Perseverance helps build in you hope, patience as well as build your character - Romans 5:3-5.
PURPOSEFUL LIFE : Living a purposeful life is consistently and constantly pursuing a goal or goals that are aligned with your values.
You see, God has called each one of us to live a life of purpose. Everyone is ordained to live a purposeful life. A life without a purpose is merely existing and not living.
A purposeful life is scripture based through which we find our calling from God. The gifts, talents, ideas and dreams God has bestowed in you are all geared towards living the purpose God has called you to live.
To find your purpose in life is to search His words which is the Bible. You may not explicitly see where it tells you to be this or that but gives you a sense of direction. "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." (Psalm 119:105).
We bring men closer to God by taking the gospel to the lost, hopeless, downtrodden, heart broken. Giving hope and encouragement to people (2 Corinthians 6:1).
Your purpose in life ought to be people oriented. It should have an impact in the lives of people positively and the primary way to do this is drawing men to God and bringing them closer to God (2 Peter 3:9)
Living a life of purpose is quite fulfilling and brings true happiness. True happiness is not found from without but from within and one way to achieve true happiness is living a purposeful life. One that brings glory to God.
Beauty isn't about having a pretty face. Its about having a pretty mind, a pretty soul and a pretty heart. Our value or identity is not based on what we are on the outside but on who we are from the inside.
Our identity is in our character, our relationship with God and in the contents of our hearts. If we hold our value and place our identity on our physical beauty, what happens when the physical beauty fades?
But if our value and identity are based on our inner beauty, we would always feel beautiful year in year out despite the fading of the physical beauty.
This why it is so essential we build on our inner self. It is of utmost priority for us to do so - 2 Corinthians 4:16 has this to say;
"Therefore, we do not loose heart. Though outwardly, we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day."
Quote for the day - "Beauty is how you feel inside and it reflects in your eyes."
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