Hidden Person

The total expenditure each year on cosmetics, hair care, jewelry, clothes and shoes to make women more beautiful must challenge the national defense budget. The biggest part of this is probably in an attempt to please the men in their lives. However, surely some is spent to outdo one’s peers with the newest and most expensive fashion available. Without a doubt people do notice, admire and envy a woman who has outside beauty.

The problem is that, “Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting.” (Pr 31:30) Few things are as sad as a woman (or man) who desperately cling to the outward appearance of youth as they age. To deny to oneself what is so apparent to everyone else is futile and even pitiful at times.

What a contrast to God’s Beauty Shop. He adorns the hidden person of the heart (1 Pe 3:1-6) with a meek (KJV) gentle and quiet spirit with an unfading beauty (v 4) which is precious and of great worth in His sight. We find that the Holy Spirit is also present in this interior make-over. He can live within the hidden person (inner being) of Christians (Eph 3:16-19). He not only endows them with beauty, He strengthens them with power and fills them with an imperishable love of Christ. Truly, “…mankind looks at the out-ward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart (hidden person) (1 Sam 16:7) “…though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly (hidden person) we are being renewed day by day.” (2 Cor 4:16)

How much happier and useful would Christians be if we would look into our hidden person and see what God has put there! Nearly everyone wants to look his/her best physically but often feels that it is not enough and struggle to try any new panacea that comes around. What if we were to try even harder to beautify our hidden person?

We can start by renewing our minds (Rom 12:2). We can then move on to purifying our hearts (2 Cor 7:1) (Jas 4:8). Praying, for-giving and loving others might also be important contributors to the make-over. After all, Christians are metaphorically called the Bride of Christ and must be pure and beautiful in their “hidden person.”

-Jim Bailey