In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:16

Mothers used to tell their daughters, “Beauty is, as beauty does,” to emphasize that real beauty is an action, rather than a look, or outfit of the day.  The Bible teaches, “Don’t be concerned about the outward beauty of fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry, or beautiful clothes. 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” (1 Peter 3:3-4). Those verses were always a bit discouraging to me, for that gentle and quiet spirit can be a hard thing to produce.

In the novel, This Tender Land, a young boy is taken with the beauty of his kind, compassionate teacher. Twelve-year-old, Odie, says he thinks of her, “in the way I think of a precious gem: The beauty isn’t in the jewel itself, but in the way the light shines through it.”[1]

This is the picture I need–here is the key to that beautiful inner spirit. Before my life can sparkle with the beauty of His brilliance, I need to invite the work of the Holy Spirit in my life, cutting away everything that’s not “gem quality” and letting Him polish away my rough edges.

I need the One who said that if I follow Him, I’ll have the light that leads to life (John 8:12). I need His light shining through me—the light of the One Who said, “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12). To live a life of genuine beauty, I need Jesus.

 

Resource reading: Romans 8:1-8

[1] Krugeur, William Kent. This Tender Land. Simon & Schuster. 2020. Google Books. https://books.google.com/books?id=wq7eDwAAQBAJ&dq=I%27ve+always+thought+of+her+in+the+way+I+think+of+a+gem.+The+beauty+isn%27t+in+the+jewel+itself+but+in+the+way+the+light+shines+through+it.&source=gbs_navlinks_s. Accessed 26 February 2022.