Let Yourself Shine
- The Narrow Path
- Jun 7, 2024
- 2 min read
Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised (Proverbs 31:30, NIV).
I apologize in advance for the advertisement jingles that are about to get stuck in your head. Traditional brands like Oscar Mayer, Folgers, McDonald’s and Toys ‘R’ Us are familiar to all of us. And now we all know the Jardiance jingle. (I know, I’m sorry.)
A couple of weeks ago a patient came in for her appointment after going to the tanning bed. When she told me she had been to Suntan City, the jingle immediately planted itself in my brain for the rest of the morning: “Sun Tan City, let yourself shine!”
Though I don’t go to the tanning bed, I would be lying if I said I didn’t like my skin better when I have a nice, golden tan going. It’s part of why I love the beach, the lake, the pool, and just being out and about in general on warm, summer days.
If you’ve ever had a beautiful tan then you know what it’s like to watch it slowly fade once vacation ends, or the summer season is over. As much as you want it to last, unless you implement artificial methods (i.e. self tanning lotion, spray tan, tanning bed), there’s nothing you can do to prevent your body from losing the melanin that gives us our golden glow.
As women we are all guilty of, at times, putting too much stock in our outward appearance. Taking a photo again because we don’t like the way we look, caking our face with makeup to cover up blemishes, and using filters on social media are just a few examples.
In a society that often values external appearance more than internal beauty, it is easy to get caught up in allowing our focus to become fixated on our external “shine.” But that’s a dangerous game to play.
How would you define internal beauty? Kindness, joy, compassion, and honesty are just a few words that immediately come to mind. When we take a look at the status of our hearts, that often informs us, in a far more Godly way, about whether or not we are letting ourselves shine.
Internal beauty comes from the Lord. When we know a personal relationship with Jesus, the Holy Spirit is present within us, and it is from that place that our kindness, joy, and compassion can radiate outwardly to create a shine that never fades.
Proverbs 31:30 says: “Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.”
May we all be challenged to look within, and examine how the contents of our hearts are impacting our outward appearance. Though our external glow quickly fades, when you say yes to a relationship with Jesus, your heart is filled with the light of Christ, which is an eternal shine.
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