I took a lot of time to get ready. I got up early to curl my hair so it was freshly done. I had my clothes picked out. I had on new shoes and a cute new vest. When I went out, I received many compliments and I felt really good! But when I came back home and started getting undressed, my feelings changed. Yea, my outfit looked good on the outside because a lot of things were hidden. Underneath my boots were pants that had shrunk from over washing and were now capris.
When I rolled the sleeves on my shirt down, the unraveling hems showed and my tank top had a quarter size whole in it. When I looked in the mirror after seeing all of my imperfections, inadequacies and insecurities, I wondered who would complement me and think I still look good when they see what’s underneath. Then a voice whispered to me, as I was standing in the mirror and said, “I would. But I need you to spend more time on what I see than on what you’re trying to get them to see.”
1 Peter 3:3-4 (NKJV) says “Do not let your adornment be merely outward – arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel – rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.”
God reminded me that there’s nothing wrong with looking good and feeling good. I’m His child and if He has blessed us, we should look like we’re blessed but still know that what matters the most to Him is not what’s on the outside but what’s on the inside and on the inside of us is our heart.
So, before you check your hair, check your humility. Before you fix your fingernails, fix your faith and before you look to man for complements, look to Him for complete confidence. For man sees our actions, but God sees our motives. And how attractive we look on the outside matters so little in comparison to how attractive our heart is on the inside.
– Crystal Denkins
