INNER BEAUTY: OUTWARD RADIENCE

Imagine the most beautiful bride in the world. What is she wearing? Think about her ornate dress and the hours she has spent on her hair, nails, and make-up. Think of her radiance as she walks down the aisle and think of the crowd staring in awe at her spectacular name brand white gown and veil. Do you have that picture in your mind? I sure do! My dad always tells a story about the most beautiful bride he has ever seen (besides his own, of course). He was performing the ceremony for the couple in an outdoor church. The tiny crowd of friends and relatives were sitting on rock pews with their feet in the gravel. The groom was standing at the front as nervous and as anxious as any other groom was. And then, from around the corner, came his bride. And she was the most glamorous and strikingly beautiful bride in the history of weddings. She was in a white gown—white like the one you imagined before, but it wasn’t ornate, it wasn’t expensive. The gown didn’t have lace or jewels or sequins or fancy buttons down the back. The veil and the train didn’t hand down the aisle behind her. As a matter of fact, she made the dress herself and didn’t spend more than $100 on the entire wedding. But she was radiant! Her eyes glowed from within with deep love for her husband and her smile radiated from her gentle heart. The thing that made her such an amazingly beautiful bride was her love and admiration for the man she was walking down the aisle towards and her love and devotion to her Lord. Nothing else that day mattered. NO fancy dress or church could have made her any more beautiful. Think back to the bride you envisioned in the beginning. Did her spirit radiate through her eyes? Can people see your inner beauty through your eyes—through the way you act and treat people? Could a blind man sense your beauty? Could you be beautiful in a homespun wedding dress or would it take ribbons and lace and pearls?