{"id":2709,"date":"2012-10-23T05:00:53","date_gmt":"2012-10-23T10:00:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/?p=2709"},"modified":"2013-01-24T21:11:51","modified_gmt":"2013-01-25T02:11:51","slug":"lady-in-waiting-the-body-beautiful-trap","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/2012\/10\/23\/lady-in-waiting-the-body-beautiful-trap\/","title":{"rendered":"Lady In Waiting: The Body Beautiful Trap"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n<\/strong>\u201cYour beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelery and fine clothes. \u00a0Instead it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God\u2019s sight. \u00a0For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to make themselves beautiful.\u201d1 Peter 3:3-5 NIV<\/p>\n

It is so amazing to note that the Bible touches on every subject that pertains to a woman\u2019s needs; beauty being one of them. \u00a0Yet how many of us refer to this awesome book when it comes to issues affecting our beauty? \u00a0If we did then glossy magazines like Vogue, Cosmopolitan and many others would have closed their doors due to lack of business.<\/p>\n

Reading the above verse over and over again, I am beginning to understand that it\u2019s not the \u201chow to\u201d articles in the magazines that will help me become beautiful. \u00a0The word of God is the best \u201chow to\u201d book ever. \u00a0The magazines will not only confuse me but also make me feel like I am not good enough because I am not as slim as the cover girl or my bank balance does not add up in order for me to buy the trendy clothes that are being advertised. \u00a0As holiday season draws near, magazines will carry articles such as \u201chow to eat all you can and not gain weight\u201d, \u201chow to look great in last year\u2019s party dress\u201d, \u201chow to impress that guy in time for the thanksgiving trip to visit your family.\u201d \u00a0Almost every article you read in these magazines is about looking good, feeling great and getting the man of your dreams.<\/p>\n

Every day we women are bombarded with these messages from morning till evening. \u00a0Even when you want to buy a car, the advert is not centered on the car but the kind of woman driving it. \u00a0She has the most beautiful smile, flawless skin and a body that most of us only dream about.<\/p>\n

The single woman is not exempt, especially when it comes to meeting the right guy, friends analyze you and tell you the reasons you remain dateless, some will advise you to lose weight, others will advise you to do a complete makeover of your wardrobe \u2013 \u201cyou dress like an old lady, how do you expect to meet a guy wearing such flabby clothes?\u201d, others will criticize you for not being found at the right places \u2013 \u201cyou don\u2019t go out often, do you expect prince charming to dream that you live in this corner of the world?\u201d \u00a0Your friends may mean well but their suggestions are contrary to what the word of God says. \u00a0Yes, you need to look good and feel good about yourself but looks alone will not go the extra mile. \u00a0As Jackie Kendall puts it \u201cIf a man chose me for external beauty, his destiny would be hugging a prune. But, if a man chooses me for my internal beauty, his destiny will be unfading beauty even in the twilight years of marriage, because of Jesus.\u201d<\/p>\n

What does this internal beauty look like? \u00a0What was it that Boaz saw in Ruth that made him to go to the elders at the town gate to ask to be the Kinsman Redeemer? \u00a0What was so special about this foreign lady who I am sure didn\u2019t even bother with make up when she went to the field to pick up left over grain to make this wealth owner inquire about her? \u00a0I always picture Ruth putting on a veil above her head each morning before she left the house. \u00a0\u00a0One would only see her eyes as she went about her business of finding food for her and her mother-in-law to eat.<\/p>\n

Let us follow a conversation that took place when Ruth and Boaz met albeit for the first time. \u00a0\u201cWhy have I found such favor in your eyes that you notice me \u2013 a foreigner?\u201d \u00a0Boaz replied, \u201cI\u2019ve been told all about what you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband \u2013 how you left your father and mother and your homeland and came to live with a people you did not know before. \u00a0May the Lord repay you for what you have done. \u00a0May you be richly rewarded by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge.\u201d \u00a0Ruth 2:10-12.<\/p>\n

Ruth won Boaz\u2019s heart by her act of kindness, not how she looked, I am sure she was a beautiful woman but at the time she met Boaz, in the field, it had nothing to do with how she looked.<\/p>\n

Girlfriends, the little or mundane things that you do for others are a testimony to your inner or internal beauty, \u00a0the times you help an elderly lady with groceries; when you hold the door for others to pass, when you give your seat to someone else in crowded room or help out others in need do not go unnoticed. \u00a0You don\u2019t know who is watching and falling in love with your character.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you look at the virtuous woman of Proverbs 31:10-31, you will\u00a0see God\u2019s picture of a beautiful woman. There are 20 verses describing her. \u00a0Only one verse mentions her outward appearance. If you were to spend 1\/20 of your time on outward physical beauty and the other 19\/20 on developing the other qualities God describes as beautiful, such as wisdom, kindness, and godliness, you would become the excellent woman Proverbs 31:10 says a man should try to find.\u201d<\/p>\n

Remember \u201cCharm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.\u201d<\/p>\n

~~~~~~~~~~<\/b><\/p>\n

LET\u2019S PRAY<\/strong><\/p>\n

Father, I pray that as your daughters, we will not fall prey to the trap that the enemy and the world have set for us about how we look. \u00a0We are beautiful in your sight; we are fearfully and wonderfully made. \u00a0Help us to set our minds on things above and develop the qualities that you describe as beautiful. \u00a0We are vessels of honor ready to be used by you my Father. \u00a0May we live our lives as examples for others to follow. \u00a0In Jesus Name Amen.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

Your Assignment: \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

In the comments section below, please tell us:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

What books have you read dealing with the virtues\/disciplines of a godly woman?<\/p>\n

In contrast, how many magazines have you read that deal with external glamour?<\/p>\n

What good books can you begin to read that will help develop your own personal godliness?<\/p>\n

Be Blessed,<\/p>\n

Jackie<\/b><\/p>\n

~~~~~~~~~~<\/b><\/p>\n

For the \u201cLady In Waiting\u201d Bible Study, you will need the book, your Bible, pen or pencil, a highlighter and a quiet place. You can order the book right through our website by clicking the \u201csign-up here\u201d button at the top of our webpage; which is also where you can sign up to participate in this awesome bible study!<\/b><\/p>\n

Please email Christi@girlfriendscoffeehour.com if you have any questions, or if you have a private comment that you would like to forward to one of our bloggers in regards to their post that day.<\/b><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cYour beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelery and fine clothes. \u00a0Instead it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God\u2019s sight. \u00a0For this is the way the holy women […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[20],"tags":[50,144,147,293,425,544,545,823,824,916,919,1136],"class_list":["post-2709","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-singles","tag-1-peter-33-5","tag-bible","tag-bible-study","tag-debby-jones","tag-girlfriends-coffee-hour","tag-jackie-chingawale","tag-jackie-kendall","tag-proverbs-3110","tag-proverbs-3110-31","tag-ruth","tag-ruth-210-12","tag-womens-bible-study","entry"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p39pHp-HH","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2709","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2709"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2709\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8221,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2709\/revisions\/8221"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2709"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2709"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2709"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}