Clergy/Leaders' Mail-list No. 1-136

TRUE BEAUTY (2)

From 'Sunrise Sunset' (HarperCollins/Harper San Francisco), Rowland Croucher's book of daily meditations. Feel free to use or adapt it.

A gentle and quiet spirit... is very precious in God's sight. 1 Peter 3:4.

Physical beauty can be hazardous to one's emotional health. As every 'beautiful' woman knows, she can be treated as simply an aesthetic, sexual object, and that is so belittling. Indeed it's an insult to her personhood.

In a book of quotes I found this: 'There is only one kind of beauty that can transcend time, and many women possess it. It is, of course, beauty of the spirit that lights the eyes and transforms even a plain woman into a beautiful one. Women with wit, charm, and warmth, who are interested in others and forget themselves, and who accept each stage of life gracefully, are the lasting beauties of this world - and the happiest.'

Beauty, says our text is a matter more of inner transformation than outward attraction. The greatest beautifier is a contented heart and a gentle and quiet spirit.

Let the beauty of Jesus be seen in me - all his wondrous compassion and purity. O Spirit divine, all my nature refine, until I become more and more like him. Amen.