Mirror mirror on the wall...

So not too long ago, I had one of "those" days. You know the days, when despite how you really are looking, you feel like you look like you have green hair, and a big warty nose, and, well...I'm sure you get the point.

So then, I read this:
"Your beauty should...be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit which of great worth in God's sight."
1 Peter 3:3,4

Could that be true? Honestly? The fact that I could be beautiful, DESPITE the warts and the frizzed hair? And, then God says, yup- that could be true.

Which that makes me think, how often does my inside shown outwardly and reveal my TRUE beauty? Often times, I think instead of showing beauty I show an uglier side even worse than a bad hair day.

(For example, maybe I don't like mornings, or heavy traffic. Maybe I am just in a cranky mood. Maybe, on occassion, I just don't feel like being kind.)

So what is the fix? I can always put a masque on my face- but there's not a "masque" for my heart. I can always buy a new shirt and don a new pair of the latest shoes, but I cannot dress up my heart.

So what is the answer?
It's Jesus.
"You were taught with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness."
Ephesians 4:22-24

Only Jesus can cause the old, cranky, I hate mornings, self to become someone kind and gentle to those around. Only Jesus can cause me to leave behind my selfish desires and instead look out for others.

Only Jesus.

So despite what we may think is a good idea, a new shirt is not necessarily going to make someone beautiful.
But Jesus will.