“Becoming a Woman of Inner Beauty”

1 Peter 3:1-6, “…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. The holy women of old were beautiful before God that way...” (MSG)

This is going to sound real FAT, but it’s the truth anyhow! The women in my family are good eaters! LOL! Neither of my daughters (ages 28 and 26 are more than 120 pounds) and still they are not exempt! People have a tendency to look at their weight and assume they eat fruit, salad and veggies for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and that could not be further from the truth! Those 2 little girls can eat some men under the table! In fact, one sure way to get those 2 extremely excited is to simply walk slowly through the house with a flat, white, large, square box – you guessed it, "Pizza!" And once you do, you will get that Pied Piper feeling. And one thing I’ve noticed is that these pizza boxes all say the same thing. I don't know if you've noticed that too. You can go to 10 different pizza places, and they all seem to have the same slogan. "You've tried the rest; now try the best." Maybe it’s me, but somebody's got to be wrong about that. However, the truth is, I'm surprised we ever noticed anything on the box, because the pizza box doesn't matter. You can put bows, balloons, ribbons and strings on it, change the colors, or even find a way to make the box light up and whistle a tune. And still I promise you, none of that matters, because the box itself doesn’t matter! Why? Because regardless of the box, what we want is what the box has on the inside! I mean, who spends time admiring the box? When it's what's inside that makes it so interesting.

Let’s look at our text in a different translation: “Your adornment must not be merely external—with interweaving and elaborate knotting of the hair, and wearing gold jewelry, or [being superficially preoccupied with] dressing in expensive clothes; but let it be [the INNER beauty of] the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality and unfading charm of a gentle and peaceful spirit, [one that is calm and self-controlled, not overanxious, but serene and spiritually mature] which is very precious in the sight of God.” (1 Peter 3:3-4 AMP)

God says here that what really matters is the INNER self of a woman, not her outward adornment. And sad to say, but so many women waste so much money, time and energy on their outer appearance, while simultaneously allowing their inner man to become bankrupt of any substance at all. We’re at the hair and nail salon, and when we’re not there we’re in the stores looking for someone’s name on tags who will make us look important if we’re wearing it. We want the latest in pocketbooks and shoes. The most expensive makeup that will make us look “on fleek and flawless”. All of this work on an outer man that will perish, when we need to invest in the inner man that will not. 2 Corinthians 4:16, “…But even if our bodies are breaking down on the OUTSIDE, the person that we are on the INSIDE is being renewed every day.” (CEB). Or at least the inner person SHOULD be renewed every day…but if you had to ask and answer yourself honestly, is she?

Moving right along, we then have Proverbs 31 which talks about a woman who is praised by her children, fully trusted by her husband, and admired by all those around. Truthfully, it doesn't get much better than that. It's the woman I think every woman would want to be, and here's what's really valuable about her. And believe it or not, but it’s not what’s ON her, but what’s IN her. It tells us that in Proverbs 31:10, "A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies." (NIV) What's her best kept beauty secret? Her noble character.

Not her hairstyle, not her clothes, or accessories. Not the name-brands in her closet. Not her jewelry. Not her makeup. But her character. And the word “character” is defined as “the qualities distinctive to an individual; the distinctive nature of something; strength or originality in a person’s nature.” However, its Old French Origin “caractere”, from Greek “kharakter”, literally means “a stamping tool.” Her character IS her name-brand. Her character is her sign and symbol of beauty. Which keeps her from being entrapped by the flattery of speech, compliments, accolades and the need for approval and validation. Her character is its own stamp of approval! She doesn’t have to wear a label, her character is her label.

Proverbs 31:30, then takes it a step further, it states, "Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; (much like our pizza box, we’re happy to see it show up, but the happiness grows greater when we get to the really good stuff that can only be found on the INSIDE!)…But a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised." It's her relationship with her Lord. Again, the stuff that's going on - on the INSIDE matters most. There's not much here about the container now is there? You see, what makes her valuable is the contents inside the container: 2 Corinthians 4:7, “But this precious treasure – this light and power that now shine WITHIN us – is held in a perishable container, that is, in our weak bodies. Everyone can see that the glorious power WITHIN must be from God and is not our own.” (TLB). Again, the good stuff is always found on the INSIDE!

Now I know this is a pretty radical idea in a world where a woman's worth is usually measured by her figure and her face. Not her character, intellect, heart, mind, or spirit…but by her outer appearance alone. Women look at a model in a fashion magazine and they compare themselves. They look at this beautiful woman and they go, "I don't look like that." Guess what? Neither does she! She's been worked on for hours by the finest hairdressers in the land, not to mention the beautiful, flaw-altering lighting that is masterful at capturing her best and concealing her worst. Then they pick one photo out of 150, and air brush that one to an unrealistic perfection. Yeah, that woman who you are trying so hard to look like, doesn't really exist!

Both men and women have bought the lie that the pizza box is what matters instead of the pizza. (If you know what I mean.) And we can't stop the world around us from being so superficial. But as followers of Jesus, we can do better. Women who don't feel they measure up physically usually tend to withdraw or become negative or bitter. They give up on themselves. They get discouraged. They get desperate and settle for something they should never settle for. They actually end up killing the beauty inside that really matters because they're so focused on what they feel they don't have on the outside. But God's Word teaches us that our body is just an earth suit; a soul carrier. And while we cannot choose to be physically beautiful, you can choose to be beautiful on the inside. Not every woman can be drop dead gorgeous, but any woman can be radiant from within.

The Bible says to go for that inner glow; that inward beauty; to be a woman who makes other people feel important, who promotes others rather than herself, who develops this joyful, daily walk with Jesus Christ. It's time that God's men and women go after the royal radiance that a princess of God can have. That's what makes a woman a friend worth knowing and a partner worth loving for a lifetime. Don't chase what you want to marry. Be what you want to marry.

Just ask any pizza lover in our house (which would be everybody). The box is only important for a minute and then it gets thrown away. For you, it's what's inside that really counts. No one has ever said that the pizza box was nutritious and filling. No one is fed by the pizza box. No one is happy to just hold the pizza box. Everyone wants what’s on the INSIDE. And today is a great day for you to focus on your INSIDE. Not making futile attempts to look like the models who don’t look like themselves either. Not on competition. Not on comparisons. But focus on you, the INNER you. And when others tap into that, just like the pizza inside the box, they will be fed with substance.

Men of God, choose a woman of INNER substance. Women of God, be a woman of INNER substance.

“Beauty is not in the face; beauty is a light in the heart.” (Kahlil Gibran)

“I can’t think of many things more attractive than a beautiful person whose beauty isn’t what actually attracts you.” (Author Unknown)

“Your outer beauty will capture the eyes, your inner beauty will capture the heart.” (Steven Aitchison)

“Your inner beauty never needs makeup.” (Author Unknown)

“…and you thought beauty was the outward show but now you know the truth, my love, it’s always been the inner fire.” (John Geddes)

“She was beautiful, but not like those girls in the magazines. She was beautiful for the way she thought. She was beautiful for that sparkle in her eyes when she talked about something she loved. She was beautiful for her ability to make other people smile even when she was sad. No, she wasn’t beautiful for something as temporary as her looks. She was beautiful, deep down to her soul.” (Author Unknown)



“Inner beauty, too, needs occasionally to be told it is beautiful.” (Robert Brau)

“Beauty is the opposite of perfection. It’s about confidence, charisma and character.”

“People who are attracted to you because of your pretty face or nice body won’t be by your side forever. But the people who can see how beautiful your heart is will never leave you.”

“Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not.” (Ralph Waldo Emerson)

“People are like Oreos. The good stuff is on the inside.”

“That’s the thing about Inner Beauty, unlike physical beauty which grams the spotlight for itself, Inner Beauty shines on everyone, catching them, holding them in its embrace, making them more beautiful too.”

“The kind of beauty I want most is the hard-to-get kind that comes from within – strength, courage and dignity.” (Ruby Dee)

“A beautiful appearance will last a few decades, but a beautiful personality will last a lifetime.”

“You are like the ocean, pretty enough on the surface, but dive down into your depths, you’ll find beauty most people never see.”

“I can’t think of any better representation of beauty than someone who is unafraid to be herself.” (Emma Stone)





“Inner beauty should be the most important part of improving yourself.” (Priscilla Presley)

“Outer beauty attracts, but inner beauty captivates.” (Kate Angell)

“There is an inner beauty about a woman who believes in herself, who knows she is capable of anything that she puts her mind to. There is a beauty in the strength and determination of a woman who follows her own path, who isn’t thrown off by obstacles along the way. There is a beauty about a woman whose confidence comes from experiences; who knows she can fall, pick herself up, and move on.”

“Exterior beauty without the depth of a kind soul is merely decoration.”



Much Love, Dr.Shermaine #InformativeRead #PleaseShare #HealthyBodySoulAndSpirit

"It's Not Selfish to Love Yourself, Take Care of Yourself and to Make Your Happiness a Priority. It's a Necessity." (Mandy Hale)

"Self-Care is Not Selfish. You Cannot Serve From an Empty Vessel." (Eleanor Brown)