A Word of Encouragement for Women of God
Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! It is amazing to think about. Your workmanship is marvelous-and how well I know it.
-- Psalm 139:14tlb
Be Beautiful Indeed!
(God made you beautiful on purpose;
but, beauty is not limited to "how you look.")
A Cultural Portrait of Sensuality Gone Wild
We live in a culture that is obsessed with the external. The next time you approach the checkout counter at any major food mart, note the titles of women's magazines. Go a step further and scan the titles of articles in these various publications. For example, here are a few you may find: "Better Skin, Hair, Sex," "Sexy Cuts and Styles." Even teen magazines for young girls focus on physical appearance. Here are titles of three different publications: "795 Ways to Look Amazing," "419 Ways to Look Pretty," "476 Ways to Look Sexy."
There's no question that we're living in a culture obsessed with how a woman looks. The word "sexy" has almost become a synonym for "beautiful" or "attractive" -- particularily in describing a woman's appearance. In television commercials, whether a company is selling shampoo or automobiles, sex sells, and the focus is often a sensuous woman.
No organized group has capitalized on this obsession more than the music industry. Though men have joined the parade of exhibitionists in live concerts and on music videos, young women are still the major sex objects. Unfortunately, their female fans try to imitate what they see on TV, in the movies and in live concerts.
What is True Beauty?
We must realize and understand that the true measure of a woman involves beauty that is far more than skin deep. It involves that unique quality that characterized Eve before sin entered the world -- the image of God. The apostle Peter referred to this attribute as "unfading beauty" (I Peter 3:4). It certainly does not exclude physical beauty, but the implication is clear: When physical beauty fades, there is a beauty that will last! More specifically, Peter describes this beauty as "a gentle and quiet spirit" (v. 4), which represents one very important manifestation of the image of God.
Peter described this beauty as coming from the "inner self" (v. 4) and warned against the superficialty of external beauty -- "outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes" (v. 3). But don't misunderstand his meaning! Because of this statement in Scriptures, there are some Christians who believe and teach that any form of outward adornment is inappropriate. To conclude that Peter was teaching that it is wrong for a woman to enhance her natural beauty is to miss the whole point. God's gift of external beauty is important to a man, and it's not wrong to use it as a means of pleasing the one you truly love and are committed to in marriage.
Read the Song of Songs. Consider also God's instructions in Proverbs:
May your fountain be blessed, and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth. A loving doe, a graceful deer -- may her breasts satisfy you always, may you ever be captivated by her love (Prov. 5:18-19).
Though this scriptural passage graphically describes a woman's physical beauty and its importance in a marriage relationship, Peter emphasized that a wife's physical attractiveness alone will never endure as a means of pleasing her husband. In fact, without inner beauty, external beauty can quickly become superficial. It's a woman's inner attractiveness that endures and wins respect over the years. It's also the inner grace that makes external qualities even more attractive. And when physical beauty fades because of the aging process, it's a woman's internal qualities that will stand the test of time.
Literary Excerpt: The Measure of a Woman, by Gene and Elaine Getz (2004)
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ALISHA CLARK
Gifted in areas of administration, singing, teaching and speaking; under the pastorate of her husband, Alisha is a member of the Mount Olive Missionary Baptist Church (Bradley, IL), where she serves with the clerical ministry, Music Ministry, Women’s Ministry, and the Sunday School Department. Other ministry positions (past and present) include Dean of James M. Smith Institute of Christian Education-Kankakee County Baptist District Association (the first female to hold position); Chairperson of Christian Education Committee-Kankakee County Baptist District Association Women’s Auxiliary; Sunday School Superintendent; Director of Children’s Church; VBS Director; and Sunday School teacher.
Alisha enjoys spending time with her husband, and four energy-filled children, in addition to traveling, singing, and drawing. Her favorite passage of scripture is found in Proverbs 3:5-6: Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
Contact Sister Alisha Clark: firstlady@mountolivembchurch.org
