Holy Beauty
Lord, please help me remember…
“Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious.” 1 Peter 3:3-4
Why is this so easy to forget?
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Filed under: Femininity, Scripture on December 2nd, 2008
I'm Kaysie, 22. Jesus follower. Lover of sunshine, trees, hot tea, books, music, family, the gospel, poetry and Barnes and Nobles. Has a weird obsession with paper. Over-analyzes almost everything. Adores simplicity. Lucky for you. 
I was listening to a lovely talk about this subject today. I understood then that I’ve never really taken head to that verse’s…um…idea (I can’t think of the right word right now) for myself, nor have I really understood and grasped its meaning full meaning.
I find this verse so easy to forget that I once took a Sharpie and wrote it in large letters on my bedroom wall. I still feel like I need to take a brand and brand it on my brain! Why IS it so easy to forget?
I find it so easy to forget this because your eyes see what is external, not what is hidden within. People do judge books by their covers and forget that physical beauty is only skin deep. And we put on gold jewelry and clothing so that people will admire us and notice us. You really have to get to know someone to see what they’re like on the inside. But how many people do we get to know on that level in our lives? Not as many as we get to know externally.
I know, Kaysie….it is hard to remember some times. I think a big issue is that the world’s definition is EVERYWHERE…and we can’t get away from it.
Need to listen to that Voice of Turth (and the ultimate beauty judge) more than I do!
Sharon, these are verses we hear over and over in some Christian circles, but yet it remains difficult for us to implement the amazing truth into our hearts. All goes to show that truth must sink deeper into our hearts than into our minds.
Ali, great idea!
I wish there was some way to sear it upon our hearts too!
Lori, you bring up a good point – humans do firstly see externals. It’s a fact of life. But I think as we grow in grace and knowledge of Christ, we begin to see through people and find their true beauty (or lack thereof). I want to be a woman who focuses on my internal beauty, and strives to find it in other people too.
Ella, you are so right. Look out the window and you will see the world loudly proclaiming it’s definition of true beauty. And it only deals with externals – with fade away, despite the many products to avoid that fact.
Amen, we must always listen to the Voice of Truth.
Wow, this is a very important thing to remember….thanks, Kaysie! Well, I’m off to a 8 round-trip car ride, and we’re leaving in 2 minutes!
While it’s also hard to remember it’s even harder to put into practise in my heart. I can say I believe it, but still let my outward apperance take up so much of my time and mind.
Since hearing it 4 months ago, I have a problem with this verse because I don’t know whether it is meant literally or symbolically (I understand so little right now).
My culture & heritage includes the braiding of hair and that is critical for me – not only as a means of connection, but also to keep things low-maintenance.
So I struggle with understanding this verse – does it mean stripping away part of me, or does it mean to simply not be vain?
Arianna, I hope you have a wonderful trip!
Erin, I am right with you. It is easy to say but hard to apply…
Jillian, I think you have the right idea. I don’t think God is saying braiding your hair or wearing jewelry is wrong, but only if it becomes our beauty. If we think we are beautiful only because we look good on the outside, we have missed God’s design for us. He values the inner person. I think you can be perfectly acceptable to God if you are striving to become like Christ and follow His example – all while having your hair braided. If we obsess on the “don’ts” of this verse, we clutter what God is really saying.
Kaysie, I appreciate you sharing these verses. I wholeheartedly agree with you that the focus of these verses is on our hearts, which should be full of love obedience, and trust, resulting in good works (also taught in 1 Timothy 2:9-11).
I have been used to a little different take on these verses (in 2 Peter and 1 Timothy, which reads a little differently). My denomination (Anabaptist/Mennonite) has traditionally taken these verses to imply that followers of Christ should dress simply. Personally, I do not wear jewelry. I know that people interpret these verses differently. And many people in my denomination focus a lot on the “don’ts” and not as much on the “do’s.”
There is one passage in Scripture that I feel is pretty clear in regards to women’s dress, and that is 1 Corinthians 11:1-16, which explains why a Christian woman should veil her hair. In light of this, I cover a large portion of my hair.
I just wanted to add to Kaysie’s answer for Jillian’s concern. I heard teaching on this passage (from John McArthur maybe?) that was explaining the original context – braided hair and gold jewelry was a style of adornment used almost exclusively by the prostitutes in that day, so Paul’s concern was for the women not to be dressing in a way that mirrored this. (Obviously wearing your hair in braids is not seen this way in our culture)
That made sense to me, and I think a good application would be not to dress in a way that is very wordly or is not a good representation of Christ.
Thanks for this post, Kaysie!
Rosanne, great thoughts, and thank you for sharing some of your beliefs. These passages are interpreted differently in every Christian circle, so it is important to know for ourselves what our stand is in God’s Word and walk in obedience to it.
Stephanie, thank you for adding those wonderful insights to those verses! I have never read that before, but it makes a lot of sense. Thank you!