"Wives, follow the lead of your husbands. Suppose some of them don't believe God's word. Then let them be won to Christ without words by seeing how their wives behave. Let them see how pure you are. Let them see that your lives are full of respect for God. Braiding your hair doesn't make you beautiful. Wearing gold jewelry or fine clothes doesn't make you beautiful. Instead, your beauty comes from inside you. It is the beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit. Beauty like that doesn't fade away. God places great value on it. This is how the holy women of the past used to make themselves beautiful. They put their hope in God. And they followed the lead of their own husbands. Sarah was like that. She obeyed Abraham. She called him her master. Do you want to be like her? Then do what is right. And don't give in to fear." 1 Peter 3:1-6
My sweet friend Heather blessed me tremendously with such an amazing conversation last night about God's faithfulness, our desperate need for His Love, and what our lives should look like as women of God. This morning I woke up to a text from her with this passage from 1 Peter. Although it is directed towards wives, this Scripture spoke volumes to me about my duty as a daughter of the King, and maybe as someone's future wife. I think that what it all comes down to is this: put your hope in God and trust His hand that leads you. As women of God, we to not be consumed by worldly things such as fine clothing or jewelry, but to instead enjoy being pursued by Christ, being clothed with beauty that comes only from Him.
I love this imagery Scripture uses about "clothing" yourself with the virtues and qualities of what holy looks like. Here in 1 Peter 3:4, we are told to clothe ourselves with the beauty that comes from within. In Colossians 3:12, Paul says: "Since you are God's holy people, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience." Then in verse 14, it says, "Above all else, clothe yourselves with love." Let God adorn you with purity, radiance, and joy. When you get dressed in the morning or before you go out at night, be sure to clothe yourself with a smile that radiates God's love. Leviticus 11:44 says: "You must be holy because I AM Holy." Pursue His holiness. Pursue radiance.
I love this 1 Peter 3 passage, how is clearly states: "Let them see how pure you are and that your lives are full of respect for God" (v. 2). Whoever your "dream guy" is you've been facebook stalking for the past month or that boy you've had a crush on for years, shift your focus on Christ and let that guy and everyone else see how pure, how lovely, and how radiant you are. Show the world your beautiful heart. I absolutely love how the passage ends with this: "..and do not give into fear." Be so confident in yourself, knowing that the Lord considers you as His precious treasure.
Listen to this song by Lindsey Kane called "Measure of Beauty" along with her insightful commentary:
