True Beauty and Self-Worth

While whipping up a batch of Oatmeal & Apples soap today, I listened to Focus on the Family's broadcast featuring Nancy Stafford. This woman starred on Matlock with Andy Griffith, as well as other TV shows of the 1980's. She was very insightful and fun to listen to AND her message is one that a great deal of women can relate to, that of true beauty and self-worth.

We live in a day and age when beauty is the all important factor in women's lives. Go to the book store or, better yet, turn on the television. You'll find that a great figure and beautiful physical features are stressed.

We Christian women are really hit hard with the beauty message. We want to be modest and drop dead gorgeous at the same time. Some girls dress immodestly to attract men because they don't think anyone could be interested in them just for their intelligence or other good qualities.

The good news is that Jesus loves us for who we are in Christ, not for our beautiful bodies. Did you ever stop to marvel, though, that Jesus was in the Garden of Eden when Adam & Eve were created? Check Genesis 1:26 and you'll read,

• "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth."

As for dressing modestly, I believe that we should wear clothing that makes us look like women. I do NOT believe that we should wear baggy dresses at all times and shy from wearing make-up. BUT, we do need to be careful that we are not revealing parts of our bodies that are for our husbands' eyes only to anyone and everyone who comes in contact with us.