20170314_212529Hi Ladies,

A godly woman is a precious jewel more valuable than rubies! Proverbs 31: 10 – “Who can find a virtuous wife? For her worth is far above rubies.”   Matthew 13: 45 – “Again, the kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and brought it.”   You are The LORD’s Pearl of Great Price, and a prize to be sought after by the man who finds you.  He must understand your true worth, and be willing to do whatever it takes to win you.

But do you accept and appreciate your own worth? Do you understand that you were created a lovely, feminine woman and that God has made you beautiful, no matter the world’s standards.  You should rejoice in and make the most of that fact!  Men do.  Your femininity and personal attractiveness are potent draws for garnering attention from the opposite sex.  And this is as Our Father intended.

Staying attractive is of vital importance to a marriage-minded lady, and includes both inner and outer beauty. The concept of staying attractive does not mean staying just as we’ve always been, of fossilizing ourselves in place, of never changing our “look” for fear that someone will realize that we have gotten older.  It is impossible, as the years pass, to retain the degree of attractiveness that God gave us when we were young.  All young adults are beautiful.  They are in their prime, at their peak of physical perfection, but change is inevitable, and it is expected.

No one requires a forty year old woman to look like an eighteen-year-old, just as few women would be interested in a fifty year-old man trying to look or act like a twenty-five year old. No one remains unaltered by time, and we shouldn’t even want to be.  Aging is truly a process of getting better, of maturing, of developing depth of character, soul and personality, as well as our own personal style.

When we can accept that we are changing, we then realize that at each age and stage of our life, we have the potential to be an attractive person, albeit in a slightly revised manner. Staying attractive means making the effort to both look and feel your very best no matter your years.  It is a reflection of your self esteem and confidence rather than a subjective measure of physical appearance.  Every woman can be attractive if she makes the effort.  It’s simply a matter of being the best you can be, and doing the most with what God has given you.

Hopefully you don’t have the false notion that a Christian woman who cares about her appearance is vain because “vanity is a sin”. By this line of thought, the less attractive a woman is, the better a Christian she is.  God never said that!  It is nowhere to be found in The BOOK, and fortunately, because of its lack of biblical basis, few Believers hold to that concept today.  Excessive pride over our appearance may be problematic, but looking and feeling good is not.

What do we mean by “our best self”? It’s easy to find out – your mirror will tell you.  Which things have you began to let slip?  Maybe you’ve always watched your diet, but now you’ve ballooned up with forty extra pounds.  Were you careful to keep your clothing well groomed, but these days everything you put on is either too small or has a safety pin holding it together?

Do you keep your body in good physical shape? Your food healthy? Your makeup tasteful, with a becoming hairstyle? Have you determined which clothes are most flattering to you, and added them to your wardrobe?  How about that weight?  If you can’t be happy with yourself because of the poundage you’re carrying around, do something about it.  Procrastination is destructive to both your health and your self-esteem.  You are not helpless…what are you waiting for to get moving?

Honor God by taking the best possible care of His Temple. We’ll get to the “Man Factor” next week. Joy and shalom!