Beauty From the Inside Out

Let’s talk about a gentle and quiet spirit.

I can’t really remember a time in my life when I was called “quiet.” Nor have I really been deemed “gentle.” Adjectives like “talkative,” “outgoing,” “independent,” and “ambitious” more typically fit the bill. To this day, I can vividly recall the moment in my freshman high school classroom in which I leaned over in my desk to talk to a friend in the row next to me. My desk promptly fell over, with me still in it, much to my teacher’s and my own dismay.

Talkative? Check.

So you can imagine why in all the years I’d heard the phrase “gentle and quiet spirit,” I simply brushed it aside.

I’ve been slowing reading through 1 Peter the past few weeks, and In 1 Peter 3, the apostle Peter talks about the inward characteristics that make a woman beautiful. Rather than focusing on the physical and the external, Peter emphasizes how much God cares about the heart. In fact, he names one quality in particular:

“Your beauty should not consist of outward things like elaborate hairstyles and the weaving of gold ornaments or fine clothes. Instead, it should consist of what is inside the heart with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very valuable in God’s eyes.”

— 1 Peter 3:3-4

I like looking at how other versions of the Bible translate this same passage:

“... You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within…” (NLT)

“Do not let your adornment be merely outward—arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel—rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.” (NKJV)

“... Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit…” (NIV)

Real beauty isn’t defined by a great haircut, jewelry, or clothes. Real beauty is what’s inside the heart—the incorruptible gentle and quiet spirit.

Here's where I think we get tripped up. Peter isn’t saying women cannot wear jewelry. He isn’t saying women cannot be perceived as physically pretty. What he’s saying is that your beauty cannot rule you. Our physical attributes fade away. They die with our bodies on this earth.

God is after the internal.

Godly womanhood is imperishable. It’s the kind of beauty that lasts a lot longer than any waterproof mascara.

But, How on earth can I measure up to this gentle, quiet woman? That’s not me. I’m the chatty one, the one who got in trouble for talking too much at school.

You might be saying the same thing. Or maybe you’ve never thought of yourself as having a gentle and quiet spirit because you’re a driven career woman, you speak your mind, and you love talking to other people.

Peter’s description absolutely can be us, extrovert or not.

If we think of the woman Peter describes as simply one who is introverted, soft-spoken, and not ambitious, then we totally miss the point. Gentleness and quietness are qualities you can practice and grow into. They’re traits I’m learning to appreciate more as I get older. Gentleness and quietness are strengths. They’re characteristics of a strong woman of the Lord. Jesus was described as gentle. And gentleness is a fruit of the spirit.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”

— Galatians 5:22-23

Recently God’s been showing me why gentleness and quietness are beautiful—and how I can actually be that while still being chatty and outgoing.

At the core, these characteristics are defined by a reliance on God.

A quiet soul trusts the Lord. A quiet soul gives control to God and knows His ways are best. A quiet soul is not anxious or worried. A quiet soul is content in Christ alone. A quiet soul submits to the Father.

If you look back a few verses in 1 Peter 3, you’ll see how Peter describes the beauty of submission: submitting to your husband and ultimately submitting to the Lord.

That is the quietness that makes us beautiful.

I can easily fixate on outward beauty. I enjoy fashion and makeup. I like physical activity and eating well. I know God wants us to steward our bodies responsibly and in a way that honors Him. But we’re not to honor our physical bodies more than Christ. When clean eating, exercise routines, meal planning, and my shopping budget get bigger than God, it’s a problem. When my hair, makeup, clothing, shoes, and the definition of my ab muscles take up more brain space than Christ, I have a major issue.

Where is my heart in all of this?

When I’m concerned with those above things, I’m a woman striving, competing, and placing hope in my physical body. That doesn’t sound like a gentle and quiet spirit at all. That sounds like a woman who’s stressed out and worried way too much about the temporal. God doesn’t see that as beautiful.

Beauty is a woman whose heart loves, trusts, and finds full satisfaction in the Lord.

What if we lived in a world where Instagram likes were determined solely by a person’s heart? Where holiness outweighed physical beauty every single time?

I think we can start to create that kind of world. But we have to encourage one another. We have to keep returning to God’s Word to know the truth when we’re bombarded with everything but. The culture we live in doesn’t want to equate beauty with a gentle and quiet spirit. You can’t sell a gentle and quiet spirit.

Framing beauty in the way Peter describes is so much better. There’s something incredibly freeing about it. We don't have to get stuck on the merry-go-round of culture's ever-changing beauty ideals. God's definition of beauty isn't changing. It's from the heart. 

We can pray for a heart that matches the Lord's. A heart that rests in Him. A woman fully at peace because her hope is in her King. There's nothing more beautiful than that.

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If you want to talk more about Jesus Christ and faith and what-the-heck-is-all-this-stuff, shoot me a message. I love meeting new people, whether virtually or in person, and gabbing about life. 

And if you'd like to know more of my story, you can read my testimony here.

Truly, He makes beautiful things.

Get Out of Your Comfort Zone

We’ve heard the parable of the Good Samaritan many times. Typically when we think about it, we think about how we as Christians are to love and help others. But have you thought about how the Samaritan went out of his way to help a Levite–someone completely different from him?

“He answered, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind;” and “your neighbor as yourself.” ”

— Luke 10:27

It’s easy to develop relationships with people who are similar to us, who have similar interests, hobbies, and backgrounds. Often times our neighbors don’t fit those criteria. What if we talk to the neighbor we have nothing in common with? Initiate conversations with the person at work who’s in a totally separate life stage than you? Strike up a discussion with the person at Starbucks you always see and who seems nothing like you?

We have to get outside of our comfort zones if we're ever to reach people with the Good News.

“Have you ever considered that interruptions and distractions in your life are divine appointments by God?” my pastor said during his message Sunday.

When your waitress at dinner is taking an especially long time, when you’re asked to head up a special event at work, when you’re assigned a middle seat on the flight, when your neighbor you barely know wants to talk as you get the mail, embrace the uncomfortable. Step into those situations with grace and patience. God doesn’t orchestrate accidents. He can use our experiences at any time as a way to spread His truth. We may never know when an inconvenience in our life is actually divinely and specifically created for us.

Head over to longhollow.com for the full post, inspired by my pastor's recent message.

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If you want to talk more about Jesus Christ and faith and what-the-heck-is-all-this-stuff, shoot me a message. I love meeting new people, whether virtually or in person, and gabbing about life. 

And if you'd like to know more of my story, you can read my testimony here.

Truly, He makes beautiful things.

Room for One More

I don't know my neighbors. I've lived in the same apartment for almost a year now, and I've yet to have a real conversation with them. I met one couple because they helped me move a couch. But we haven't talked since then except to say hello. And I don't know any of the other people in the apartments around me.

It's so easy to head into my home, preoccupied and focused on whatever it is that I want to do at that moment. Maybe you can relate.

In Luke 14, Jesus shares the parable of the large banquet. This banquet is for everyone. Jesus makes a point that we must be generous even to people who may not be able to give us anything in return. We must live generously because God has given generously to us.

If God can invite us as sinners into his perfect Home, then what stops us from inviting our neighbors into our homes here today?

Over and over in Scripture, eating a meal together connects people. In the Old Testament, God uses food to not only bring His people together but to show them more of Him.

There is always room for one more at Christ's table.

Head over to longhollow.com for the full post, inspired by my pastor's recent message.

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If you want to talk more about Jesus Christ and faith and what-the-heck-is-all-this-stuff, shoot me a message. I love meeting new people, whether virtually or in person, and gabbing about life. 

And if you'd like to know more of my story, you can read my testimony here.

Truly, He makes beautiful things.

My Life-Changing Week at Camp

Thank you so much for praying for the high school girls and me while at camp. Your prayers were felt, and God was present in countless ways in those mountains. I've been back to Nashville a bit now, thinking about exactly how to share my experience with you. Camp was one of the greatest weeks of my life. I've never been a part of something so physically exhausting yet so spiritually renewing. I kept thinking, "Thank you, Lord, for allowing me to be a part of this."

A few years ago, I never would have dreamed I'd be leading fifteen 15-year-old girls for six days and talking about Jesus with them every day. But there I was. As always, God put me right where He needed me to be. I pray that I helped encourage those girls toward a deeper love of Christ. I pray they take what they learned on that mountain into their lives back home.

A typical day at camp meant we’d wake up early and read the Bible individually, going through the first six chapters of Daniel (one of my favorite books). We’d discuss each chapter together as a group and then head to breakfast and morning worship. I cannot put into words how powerful, moving, and, well, fun, the worship services are at camp. Picture an intimate concert with 500 people, add in hands raised in praise, bumping speakers, and a whole lot of Jesus. That’s camp. We’d sing and then hear a challenging message from one of the pastors. After worship, we’d have another discussion within our cabins. The rest of the day included lunch, ample time for outdoor activities (hello, wave pool), dinner, another powerful worship session, and a final group discussion before bed.

The days were long, but the Lord was sweet. He brought me a co-leader who knew some of the girls and had been to camp before. She who so kind and able to help guide me. And when she had to unexpectedly leave camp early for a funeral, God gave me the energy and the wisdom to lead our group solo—a group I felt God specifically placed me with.

My job as a leader was to help point these high school girls to Jesus. I was there to not only watch over them but to care for them for the week. I thought of them like my little sisters. I wanted to make sure they felt loved and encouraged.

Camp is designed specifically for the students. The thing is, these girls and this camp impacted me, too.

I walked away with a greater love of the Lord and a greater desire to serve him wholeheartedly.

As the week went on, God revealed to me that when your attention is on serving others, you don't have space to stress about the little (ultimately selfish) things you normally might. I couldn't worry about my body, or my bank account, or my job. I didn't have the time to feel anxious about this stuff because I was focused on ministering to those girls and hearing from Jesus.

It was freeing.

Seeing the way hundreds of high school girls and boys worshipped and openly loved Jesus all week long was so beautiful. Their passion and joy for the Lord is contagious. I couldn’t help but lift my arms in praise and dance around with the high schoolers as the worship band played Hillsong Young and Free and other upbeat songs. And when we sang “A Beautiful Name,” I let tears stream down my face as I thought about all He has done for me, transforming me from death to life. To God alone be the glory. The name of Jesus deserves all the praise!

When you witness the pure love a new Christian has for Jesus, it stirs something in you. These students demonstrated the true joy of salvation. The deep desire of so many of them is to share the truth of the Gospel and to share how God has changed their lives. They recognize the fact that news this good simply must be shared. When you’ve been saved from the power of sin and the schemes of Satan and then graciously offered eternal life through faith in Christ, that affects you big-time.

The students reminded me that if you are a Christian, then Jesus is not just a part of your life. He is your whole life. Do you live that way, too?

I carried home a few other lessons from camp, things I plan to continue doing back here in real life:

1. Spend less time on my phone.

We were in the mountains with little service. I could call and send a few texts, but I couldn’t be constantly available like I usually am. You know what? It was great. We could all use time away from our devices every now and then.

2. Start every morning with the Bible and prayer.

This year has been the year I’ve developed the habit of morning Bible reading. Camp helped solidify the importance of that. You can read the Word any time of day. But for me, my day feels off without reading and praying first. My goal is to intentionally set aside 30 minutes before work to read and let the message sink in before I start my day.

3. Eat freely.

Future blog post on this to come! Camp showed me not every meal has to be Instagram-perfect and blow our taste buds out of the water. Sometimes lunch is a blah ham and cheese sandwich, and that’s okay. Food sustains us and energizes us—and meals that aren’t this amazing experience can serve to remind us of the Bread of Life who truly satisfies.

4. Share the Truth.

As Christians, we have the greatest news of all time. Not sharing that really makes zero sense. I pray that when people know me, they say I’ve been with Jesus.

“When they observed the boldness of Peter and John and realized that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed and recognized that they had been with Jesus. ”

— Acts 4:13

I’m an ordinary woman, but God continually does extraordinary things for His purpose and His kingdom through ordinary people. I don’t want to be known as a “good person” or a “sweet girl” but rather as a woman of the Lord. Others will only know that if I share with them the Gospel and my own testimony of His saving grace. I have to share my story whenever possible, with whoever possible, especially the people who are already around me.

I want my life—however short or long—to count for His Kingdom.

Let’s be Christians who demonstrate the deep and profound joy that comes from a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. Let’s proclaim Him with the same boldness of Peter and John, the same boldness of a newly saved high school kid. There’s nothing more exciting or worth sharing.

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If you want to talk more about Jesus Christ and faith and what-the-heck-is-all-this-stuff, shoot me a message. I love meeting new people, whether virtually or in person, and gabbing about life. 

And if you'd like to know more of my story, you can read my testimony here.

Truly, He makes beautiful things.