Memory Verse Monday - Inward Beauty

Does anyone besides me get sick of the diet commercials on TV?

And you can't escape them on the radio either.

Lately, even our local radio station hosts have been advertising

for Plastic surgery and such

(Valentine's Day specials no less).

Yuk!

Don't get me wrong, it's not that I am against any of it.

But, I DO resent having to hear about them night and day.

I DO wish people had more class, better taste, and more common sense

than to present the information in such a crass manner.

It saddens me our children are exposed to it for hours on end by the time they are 18.

and that many fall for it because of

feeling the cultural pressure to conform.

I mean, I remember walking across the living room

with a book on my head to practice a graceful walk and good posture,

when I was a young girl!

(Yes, that may have been when Dinosauers still roamed the earth

but, it's completely beside the point :) )

I remember being taught

"Pretty is as pretty does".

Meaning the beauty I desired was within my reach,

not dependant on my income bracket,

my parents, my or my husband's ability to pay for my plastic surgery!

If I behaved in a "pretty" fashion,

if I was kind, clean, neat, diligent,

took care of myself and others, it would "show up" on the outside.

Guess what? It does!

It won't ever get me on the cover of whatever

kind of publication you can think of.

But, over the years I have seen that the way we live

can't help but show up on the outside of us.

Laugh lines, hands that are gentle, a ready smile,

a firm handshake, a warm hug,

a propensity to giggle or offer an encouraging word.

The ability and desire to "pitch in" and help out with whatever needs doing.

The grace to include the people on the fringes, longing to be a part of what's going on.

These things make the sort of beauty that is valuable.

And I believe ALL of that begins here:

"Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;

but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised."

Proverbs 31:30 NIV

By now, after the Free to Fly Awards, you know that

living a beautiful life from the inisde out

is something of a life's journey for me.

It seems to be for many of you as well.

Yesterday I was getting ready for church.

Not thinking about this topic at all.

I was in that sort of contemplative state,

where your body is going through the motions of getting ready to go out,

but your heart and mind are open before the Lord.

You're sort of looking through the kitchen cabinets and closets

of your inner self together, to see what's there.

And the phrase popped up "Beauty is fleeting".

For me, I took that as an welcome invitation to draw near

to God through His Word,

to go and study that scripture and the Words around it.

In Jesus' day, there was special emphasis put on studying the word that they had

(which at the time was the Old Testement).

Such a strong emphasis was placed, that to know one scripture,

was to know the one after it.

To say the first was to imply the second.

So for me, the emphasis wasn't on the fleeting nature of beauty,

so much as what comes after that in His Word.

"but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised."

This is the reverence of God, to Honor Him, to Revere Him,

to consider Him as Worthy to Be Praised!

To be praised, as stated here, means to shine,

to be for marriage, to be clear!

Pretty cool, huh?

Yes, I think skin care, cosmetics, scented body lotion,

my favorite hair spray, and hair color

are Da Bom, Baby!

But, all those wonderful HBAs (Health and Beauty Aids),

they won't do me an ounce of good without The One Who Gives Me Life,

living (hopefully) large on the inside of me!

So, this week I am going to make sure that I focus on making room for more time in His Word,

more time in His presence while I go about my business

with music and song playing in our home,

and in my heart and mouth!

And I will be looking for inspiration,

because inspiration is what keeps us VIBRANT!

This is my Memory Verse Monday, which Karen hosts.

Be sure and check her out, and sign up for yourself if you like!