As my four-year-old daughter stepped out of the bathroom, she came to me and asked; “Daddy, am I beautiful?” I responded with immediate alacrity; “You are very beautiful.” I continued with all the affirmations I could bring forth as a father. But her response startled me; “How can I be beautiful when I’m naked?” I supplied her the right understanding.
Friend, there is something called inner beauty. This is where true beauty lies. When people say someone is beautiful in and out, I wonder if they actually know or mean what they say. Truly, inner beauty is what commands outer beauty. Inner beauty should be your priority.
When it comes to counsels for Christian women, Peter encouraged that makeup kits must not replace inner beauty (1 Peter 3:1-5). He emphasized that inner beauty is of great price before God. He encouraged that we should value what God values. We should celebrate what God celebrates. We should choose what God chooses.
Men will always be men. They look at the outward appearance, but God looks on the heart (1 Samuel 16:7). To win with God, focus on what is inside, not what is outside. To win with men, focus on what is outside. But you will lose with God that way and eventually lose with men. It is better to lose to win than win to lose.
Where do you put your confidence? Where do you derive your value and sense of worth? Is it based on what is external but temporary or on what is internal and eternal (2 Corinthians 4:16-18)? You have got a choice to make. The outward man may perish but be sure that the inward man is renewed day by day.
Don’t prioritise public success above private success. Don’t be a whitewashed tomb (Matthew 23:27). As a lady, take care of your character. As a pastor, build internal strength and capacity. As a young man, marry a beautiful lady, but don’t sacrifice inner strength and beauty for external arrangements. Like my daughter, you can be naked and beautiful. It is called inner beauty. It is priceless.
‘Demola Awoyele
Lead Pastor,
Destiny Impact Church
Akure, Nigeria