God and you

Day 192

'Don't be concerned about the outward beauty of fancy hairstyles, expensive jewellery, or beautiful clothes. You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God.'

1 Peter 3:3-4

Selfie

noun . informal

a photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically one taken with a smartphone or webcam and shared via social media.

How many selfies have you taken in the past month? Are you the constant selfie taker, or the perfectionist? Did you know that on average we spend 54 hours of our lives taking selfies - that's more than 2 days! I don't know about you, but as soon as I open Instagram, my phone is cluttered with millions of selfies other people take when they are looking their best: i.e. wearing new clothes, just had a manicure, got their hair styled or anything like that.

Do you think it really matters how you look to other people? Do you think God really cares that you have the most perfect eye makeup? Let me tell you the truth. No matter what clothes you are wearing, or how your hair looks, you are beautiful. God moulded you with his own hands; he created you to be just who you are. You are fearfully and wonderfully made, and nothing can take that away from you.

God doesn't look at outward appearance. He looks at your heart. The beauty within is unfading. If your spirit is gentle and kind, you will be millions of times more beautiful than the richest fashion model in the world. The way you look shouldn't be what attracts people to you - if they are the right people for you, it will be the way you act. And this is God's definition of a selfie:

Selfie

noun . informal

an image of one's heart, typically showing the beauty which comes from within, holding the spirit of gentleness, kindness, love and joy that is given only from the King Almighty, which is reflected by one's actions.

This is the selfie that matters most.

Prayer

Dear Lord,

Thank you that you created me to be unique and beautiful. Thank you that you love me more than words can express. Please help me to reflect the beauty within by my actions, so that others can see how great you are.

Amen