Ladies Magazine Design March-April 2014 | Page 21

more and more beautiful with time. Real beauty lies in one’s spirit, attitude, and actions. These three are beauties that will last. “You need this product!” And you’ll need a new one tomorrow. “You need this look!” And there will be a new one next season. “You need this thing!” And it will wear out or go out of style soon. We can lighten, tighten, whiten, and brighten with these marvelous products. But they only affect our outer layer. They do nothing for the real us. The skin we wear is going to sag, wrinkle, peel, and one day turn to dust. What really matters is what is inside the skin we wear. “Do not let your adornment be merely outward—arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel” (I Peter 3:3, NKJV). This verse of Scripture is not saying, “Don’t wear beautiful things”; it is saying, “Don’t let what makes you beautiful be things.” Don’t let the things that make you beautiful be things on the outside, like the way you fix your hair or the clothing you wear. Make sure that your beauty comes from inside you, the unfading beauty of a gentle, quiet spirit which is highly valued in God’s sight. Real beauty can’t be bought. It is not in a tube or on a hanger. You can’t arrange it, not with a braid, or a pincurl, or with a brush. You can’t wear it; you have to grow it. Fashion fades. Bodies age. But real beauty is a treasure all can afford—and none can outgrow. a Real beauty lies in one’s spirit, attitude, and actions. What really matters is what is inside the skin we wear. Don’t let what makes you beautiful be things. Rachel is married to Brent Coltharp, pastor of First Apostolic Church in Aurora, Illinois. She is wife to one, mother to four, and is fluent in four languages: Infantese, Toddlerspeak, Teenlingo, and Husbandism. Rachel is a writer and public speaker who shares from her real-life experiences, mostly mistakes and do-overs. She is a passionate follower of Jesus Christ and an avid disciple of Apostolic doctrine. Visit her at www.rachelcoltharp. blogspot.com. Mar/Apr 2014 • Reflections 21