As a little girl I had a mirror in my home. Most do, but mine was my dad. I guess all Dads think their little girls are pretty. Mine was no exception---I think. I don't doubt my dad was and is very proud of me, but for reasons having nothing to do with my physical looks. I was raised in a family that valued your contribution, your efforts, your attitude and your results. My family valued Godliness over attractiveness. What a blessing.
The pressure from the world to be beautiful, sexy and attractive is enormous. Provocative looks and actions are no longer questionable but expected. Holy women of God are considered backward and ignorant. As women, we are allowing ourselves to be defined as so much less than what we were created for. Beautiful women, women who have a kind and gentle heart, do not need more make-up or fewer clothes to be attractive. Godly women get more lovely with years, they will have that beauty that simply doesn't fade. Cultivating a Godly spirit is the best beauty treatment there is. Having your speech pure and your actions holy will make you more beautiful than you can possibly imagine. You can have confidence and security in your appearance that comes from God's word, that you will never get from a magazine. This confidence won’t change with the season or fade with the years. This is true beauty.
How did I get all of this from my dad? Simple, I was raised with a standard repeated over and over in our home when I was growing up. "Be as pretty on the inside as you are on the outside." Did he think I was pretty on the outside? Probably. But what he valued was me. He complimented my work, my compassion and continually encouraged me become the woman God could see in me. The measure for beauty was holiness and gratefulness. When I see myself those are the qualities for which I look. All little girls should have this kind of mirror in their homes.
