Thank You, But…

by Darla Noble

Let your beauty be not just the outward adorning of braiding the hair, and of wearing jewels of gold, or of putting on fine clothing; but in the hidden person of the heart, in the incorruptible adornment of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God very precious.

1 Peter 3:3-4

Allison was one of those babies that stood out in a crowd.

She rarely cried, she was never rowdy, and never went through that ‘terrible two’ stage. She was just precious.

Everywhere Allison went, people commented on how cute she was. These comments naturally put big smiles on her parents’ faces.

But when Allison got to be around two years old, her parents started discouraging or redirecting the comments. When someone mentioned how cute Allison was, they would say, “Thank you, but what makes us proud that she is such a good listener and always uses her manners.” Or, “She’s so good and sweet on the inside. It just keeps popping out on the outside.”

What wise parents! They knew early on how essential it was to teach their little girl that beauty isn’t about hair, makeup, clothes, and the size and shape of your body. They knew (and wanted her to know) that real beauty is about who you are on the inside and how you act and treat others.

At twenty years old, Allison still has a head full of curls and bright blue eyes, but that’s not what people notice.

What people see is her genuine kindness, humility, and faith—the things that make someone a real beauty.

Pray

Dear God. Give me the courage to shun the world’s perception of beauty and focus on what You say so that I can be gorgeous. I pray In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.