Jessica’s alarm went off at 5:45 am, just as it did every school day. As much as she wanted to roll back over and continue sleeping, she knew it was time to start getting ready for school. She slipped on her house shoes and walked over to the desk in the corner of her room. She sat down and pulled out her Bible, turned to Proverbs 31. Jessica always made it a point to start her day by studying God’s Word. As Jessica was concluding her Bible study, she prayed and asked God to help her remember Proverbs31:30, “Charm is deceitful, and beauty is passing, but a woman who fears the Lord she shall be praised.” She closed her Bible and placed it on her desk. Rising from her chair, Jessica continued her morning routine. She showered, brushed her teeth, got dressed, fixed her hair, ate breakfast, and just before leaving for school, she glanced in the mirror. The mirror. The one object that would tell her if she forgot or needed to fix something. Of course, it always pointed out some kind of imperfection. This time, she forgot makeup. She had been so busy trying to figure out what to make for breakfast that she forgot to put on makeup. This is something that she did every school day, except for this one. But, going to school without makeup on, wouldn’t be so bad, would it? Besides, she knows that true beauty comes from within (1 Samuel 16:7). Jessica, remembering Proverbs 31:30, turned her back to the mirror and walked out of her room. She kissed her mother goodbye, walked out the front door and got on the school bus.

Jessica’s day at school had gone exceedingly well. She was excited when she found out she had made an A+ on the research paper she turned in last week. She made an A- on the pop quiz in history class, and to top it all off, her best friend invited her to her 16th birthday celebration. As Jessica sat in the cafeteria eating her lunch, pondering all of the exciting things, she was approached by the group of ‘cool’ kids. “Hey there, goody-two-shoes. Did you forget to put on your makeup this morning? Did you think no one would notice?” said Rachel, the leader of the group. “Well, eh…,” Jessica tried to reply, but she couldn’t seem to find the words. “Jess, I never realized you had so much acne all over your face. You know, without the makeup, your face just isn’t very pretty, dear. If you think someone is going to want to marry you one day, you’re incredibly wrong,” and with that, Rachel gave Jessica a cruel look, swiftly turned, and motioned for the other girls to follow her. This left Jessica speechless. Did she really look that bad? Tears slowly started to roll down her face. Jessica, trying to conceal the flowing tears, ran to the bathroom and looked in the mirror. The words Rachel had spoken just moments ago, started to sink in as Jessica stared at her reflection. “Rachel is right, my face isn’t very pretty. And on top of that, my hair’s a mess. But, is the mirror lying? Does the mirror tell the whole story? Is it telling me the truth?” Jessica thought to herself.

When you look in the mirror, what do you see? No matter what the mirror says, I hope that you see a beautiful young lady that God made so very beautiful on the inside and the out. I find, as a society, that we focus so much on our outward beauty, that our inward beauty is often overlooked. On TV, we see commercials for makeup, hair products, skin care, etc. All of these things enhance our outward appearance, but what about our inward? Proverbs 31:30 says, “Charm is deceitful, and beauty is passing, but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised.” Outward beauty doesn’t last. One day, our hair will turn gray, our skin will be wrinkly, our body will be fragile, and we won’t look like we did in high school, but this is just part of life. It’s what happens. Beauty fades. It doesn’t last. So rather than spending all of this time and money on something that is just going to fade away, wouldn’t it make more sense for us to spend our time on spiritual beauty, which affects our eternal destination? The mirror does not tell you the whole story. It does not reflect your inward beauty, only the outward.

Are you trying to hide how beautiful you are? Why don’t you close your eyes, look inside, and let Him see the part of you that you’ve been trying to hide? Let’s not focus so much on how we look to other people, but let’s focus on how we look to God. “…a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised”. So, let’s be beYOUtiful for Him. Be yourself. You look just as beautiful without makeup as you do with it. Don’t live to impress others, but live to impress God. Don’t listen to what the mirror or other people have to say. Listen to God and live for Him. After all, He’s the One that made you beautiful.

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Lydia Rubelsky

Lydia Rubelsky lives in Tennessee with her family and worships at the West Huntsville church of Christ in Huntsville, Alabama. She has been a Christian since August 2007. Lydia is a homeschooled senior in high school who is excited to see what God has planned for her future. She has a love for writing, graphic design, photography, Bible journaling, music, and anything and everything in the creative world. But, above all, she loves the Lord. One day she hopes to speak at ladies days and write books for teen girls. She believes that true success is living her life and going to heaven and taking as many people with her as she can.

Latest posts by Lydia Rubelsky (see all)

• Time for a New Perspective - October 2, 2017
• Dear Future Wife: Look for a Sole Mate - May 15, 2017
• The Mirror - March 20, 2017