The beginning of Proverbs 31:30 states- "Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain...." (KJV)
Proverbs 31:30- "Charm and grace are deceptive, and [superficial] beauty is vain..." (AMP)
Proverbs 31:30- "Charm can mislead and beauty soon fades....." (The Message)
Proverbs 31:30- "Charm can fool you, and beauty can trick you..." (NCV)
Charm.
Charm is described as, "a power of pleasing or attracting, as through personality or beauty:" "Attractiveness, beauty, glamour, loveliness, appeal, allure, desirability, seductiveness, magnetism, charisma."
Jane Austen once stated, "There is no charm equal to tenderness of heart," and I would think God would agree since He inspired Solomon and others to write about the fact that charm is deceitful.
"Beauty is only skin deep" is a quote we hear often. This means that what we see on the outside, does not always depict what is on the inside. Someone can be the world' definition of 'true beauty' on the outside, but their insides can be full of anger, malice, bitterness, spite, hatred, revenge, haughtiness....
We have to be so careful that we are not judging others based off of their appearance... and that we are not judging ourselves based off of our appearance either.
1 Peter 3:3-4 states, "Don’t focus on decorating your exterior by doing your hair or putting on fancy jewelry or wearing fashionable clothes; let your adornment be what’s inside—the real you, the lasting beauty of a gracious and quiet spirit, in which God delights." (The Voice)
1 Peter 3:3-4- "It is not fancy hair, gold jewelry, or fine clothes that should make you beautiful. No, your beauty should come from inside you—the beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit. That beauty will never disappear. It is worth very much to God."
This isn't saying we shouldn't take care of ourselves, but it is saying that our outward appearance should not be our main focus in life. What does it matter if we look perfect on the outside, but our insides are a mess. Beauty fades. Kindness-- and the effects of kindness-- will last forever.
Have you ever seen a 'beautiful person' on the outside? You couldn't believe how put together they looked. They were attractive in every sense of the word. And then you got to know them.... and you heard them making fun of others, you saw their lack of respect for authority... you saw them stealing... you heard them lying... you watched them use other people and manipulate them...
and then all of a sudden, that outward beauty started to fade because in that moment, it didn't matter so much.
Kahlil Gibran once said, "Beauty is not in the face; beauty is a light in the heart."
How does our heart look today? Does it reflect our true beauty? Or is it dark, mean, cold, and angry?
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