Speaker: Darlene Sala | Series: Encouraging Words | Is it okay to enjoy pretty clothes? Or is fashion just a frivolous ego trip? Well, let’s see what the Bible says. The apostle Peter gives the following advice to women: “Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight” (1 Peter 3:3-4).

I hope you noticed that Peter didn’t say that women shouldn’t braid their hair or wear gold jewelry or fine clothes—just that their beauty should not be dependent on those things. What counts most, Peter said, is the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit.

In 1960 my husband and I visited Paris for the first time. Now, I had heard that there were prostitutes on the streets of the city, but I was not prepared for the appearance of these women. They were some of the best-dressed in Paris—slender, attractive, with their make- up well done, carrying themselves gracefully. Right then and there, I thought to myself, “If they can keep themselves looking so attractive for such a despicable reason, I must keep myself attractive for my wonderful husband, who loves me so dearly and does everything he can do to make me happy.”

A bedraggled, tousled woman came to a Christian leader for advice. “I just can’t figure it out,” she said. I’m a faithful wife, a good cook and a good mother, but my husband never looks at me—he never says ‘I love you.’ I don’t understand.” The Christian leader thought to herself, “You’re wrong about your husband never looking at you. Actually, he has looked—and he didn’t want to look any further!”

Women, your #1 priority should be to have a gentle and quiet spirit. But don’t forget to make yourself attractive so that your husband can proudly say, “I’d like you to meet my wife.”