By Pam Matney

1 Peter 3:4- “You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God.”

Body image, the newest fashion, how to look smaller, the best workout for the best body, all of these we see on a daily basis. Everywhere we look we are faced with vanity. I suffer with insecurity of the way I look. I have always had problems with my weight. In fact, I was on a diet when I was 8 years old. I was made fun of in high school and I constantly tried to lose more weight.

We as women are taught through media and society that the thinner and “hotter” you look, the more a man will want you. In my early 20’s I believed this lie and would wear revealing clothing to attract attention. It worked, but what kind of attention was I receiving? Proverbs 31:10bmsg says, “We are worth far more than diamonds.” Diamonds are rare. The Greek words derived from the word diamond are, “proper,” “unalterable,” “unbreakable.”

Maybe God is trying to tell us something. We are worth more than something that is rare. God sees us this way. Why do we sometimes justify why it is okay to wear this outfit or act that way? I would justify my clothing that was revealing when I would go to weddings or Christmas parties with, “It’s a celebration, and I have to look cute.” What lie was I believing?

The lie is this: You are not good enough unless you wear this brand of clothing. You aren’t pretty enough unless you show some skin. You aren’t loveable enough unless you let someone see parts of you that are meant for your husband’s eyes only. 

We are precious in His eyes, whether or not anyone else views us as precious. God longs to see us honor Him with what’s inside rather than the outside. We can spend all the money in the world to look a certain way and still not have a gentle and quiet spirit to honor the One who made us.

Let’s start today by asking God to change us from the inside out, to allow our words, actions, and bodies to glorify Him.