Verse of the Day - Proverbs 31:30

Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. ~ Proverbs 31:30 (NIV)

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I thought that Solomon probably wrote this set of proverbs on "the noble woman", and I thought that made alot of sense, since he had so many women in his household, and had probably been burnt more than once by deceptive charm and fleeting beauty. But the Bible doesn't exactly say. It does start this chapter with sayings from King Lemuel's mom, though, about how a king should behave. And then we have the "noble woman" stuff. Interesting, huh?

At the fall of man in the Garden of Eden, men got the weeds and women got their wiles. Women were stricken with a desire for their husband, and he would rule over them (Genesis 3). I think this means (and I've experienced it) that there is an emotional imbalance in the man/woman relationship -- she wants him, and he sits above her emotionally, not needing her so much. And that's where the 'wiles' come in. Women so often feel the need to 'catch' a man, to grab their attention and somehow keep it, and so they use their charm and accentuate their beauty to attract the male species. And believe me, many a man has been caught and trapped by alluring eyes, beautiful hair and a curvy body.

But guess what? They don't stay that way! Age has such a devastating way of turning curves into fat and beautiful skin into wrinkled prunes. Relying on ones youthful beauty to keep a man happy is ridiculous, no matter how many trips to the botox station you make! How many aging female actresses and entertainers can you think of who have attempted to stay young through plastic surgery, and yet you look at them and think, Yuck. She really looks awful...?

The bottom line is that our exteriors are fleeting. It's fine to pay attention to the details of our skin, hair and body...and in regard to makeup, like Chuck Swindoll said many years ago, "If a barn needs painting, paint it!" :-) But our real beauty comes from our relationship with God, which builds character. And that is truly beautiful to behold.

Men, don't think this doesn't apply to you. You can have great hair and a pearly white smile and a shiny new convertible, which will catch some babes for a time, but if you don't work on your relationship with God, your character will be lacking, and your shiny exterior will fade and tarnish. What will you do then? Perhaps just sit around with a bunch of other botox'd people who try to cling to the slipping sand of youthful beauty, yet never give much attention to what's on the inside.

A woman (or man) who nurtures a strong relationship with God is more beautiful on the inside than any of America's Top Models could ever be on the outside. Focus on what lasts -- not on what fades.

Love,
Joelene