Counsels on Self-Identity

Counsel #5 — Feminine Beauty

Picture: Counsel #5 — Feminine Beauty CI 70.1

God is a lover of the beautiful. Though women should of course practice personal hygiene, dress attractively, and make healthy choices, the beauty that God treasures most is beauty of character — kindness, meekness, compassion, hospitality, grace, generosity, joy.^[68] And meekness does not mean women should be weak, insecure, or lacking in confidence! Even Moses, one of the strongest and most gifted male leaders and administrators in the Bible, was referred to as the meekest of men (Numbers 12:3). CI 70.2

“[God] has made everything beautiful in its time.” Ecclesiastes 3:11 NJV CI 70.3

“God is a lover of the beautiful, but that which he most loves is a beautiful character…Jesus tells us that there is something higher for our consideration and aims than what we shall eat, and what we shall drink, and wherewithal we shall be clothed. It is beauty of character that shall not perish, but last through the ceaseless ages of eternity. ‘Whose adorning, let it not be that outward adorning…but let it be the hidden [woman] of the heart.’ 1 Peter 3:3, 4” Ellen White in BEcho, Feb. 1, 1892, par. 8 CI 70.4

Reflect: Could the world’s standard of beauty be detrimental to your efforts to be like Jesus? How can you uphold His standard of beauty in today’s culture? CI 70.5