Nonna's kNOWledge

Be Beautiful NOW

BY CAROLYN JOY

You can live in a way that will always make you beautiful. You can be beautiful first thing in the morning, just coming out of the shower, or even when your day is not going as planned. Beauty is much more than skin deep. It is more than what you see in the mirror. Beauty comes from within your heart, mind, and soul. Beauty is treating everyone with love. Beauty is talking kindly, even after a long day with demanding children. Beauty is serving those around you and helping someone in need, even when you are tired.

Contrary to what the Bible teaches, the world teaches us that beauty is something we see with our eyes. Since we all want to be beautiful, we spend our money to change our outward appearance. Store shelves are lined with cosmetics to purchase, lotions to appear younger, and colors to enhance our facial expressions. We have become so consumed with our bodies that we devote much time to changing our reflection in the mirror, attaching value to our beauty. However, the Bible talks about a virtuous woman and describes her inner beauty. “She is worth far more than rubies.” (Proverbs 31:10b NIV) Having or showing high moral standards is what makes you beautiful.

While taking care of our bodies is good, we must also focus on the beauty in our hearts. Proverbs 31:20 (NIV) says, “She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy.” Do you think of yourself as beautiful as you serve others? Do you ever think how beautiful you look to the person you are helping?

As a godly woman, you can be beautiful in your text messages, your Facebook posts, and what you say on Instagram. What message are you sending? In this world of social media, people judge you without ever seeing you. You will be liked by what comes out of your heart and what you write, not how you look. Matthew 12:34 (NKJV) says, “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” Your words and actions make you beautiful. However, they can also make you appear ugly. That’s why it is so important to guard your heart and be careful what and who you attach to your heart. Your heart will guide your mouth and actions, resulting in your true beauty. “Above all else, guard your heart for everything you do flows from it.” (Proverbs 4:23 NIV)

Proverbs 31 continues in verses 25 and 26 (NIV) with a description of a virtuous woman, “She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue.” Is your heart filled with joy? Do you laugh and make the people around you feel good? Do you speak truth with wisdom?

As spring brings forth beautiful flowers and new beginnings, start today by planting seeds of joy, hope, happiness, and forgiveness. Search your heart, watch your seeds grow, and be beautiful NOW! If your heart is beautiful, you will be positively gorgeous!

Nonna’s chuckles:

I asked two of my granddaughters, “What does a beautiful lady look like to you?”

My seven-year-old granddaughter had trouble answering the question. Finally, after much deliberation, she said, “The reason I cannot answer the question is because every lady is beautiful in her own way!”

My five-year-old granddaughter had a slightly different opinion of how a beautiful lady would look. With a giggle, she quickly answered, “A princess.” Then she stopped, thought for a moment, and raised the bar. “No, she would look like a queen!”

Carolyn Joy is the author of ‘The Overflow of the Heart,’ ‘Let Your Heart Overflow with Joy,’ and ‘Out of the Grey Zone.’