Proverbs 31:30 Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears [has reverential awe toward] the Lord is to be praised.
This verse goes against everything pop culture and media tell us. Headlines in magazines and on news broadcast the importance of having ample charm and physical beauty while brushing aside the importance of inner beauty. Women believe they have to achieve physical perfection to ever be seen as valuable while men are also being told that the size of their muscles and how many women they can get in bed is the determining factor of their worth.
But what about the counterculture message that is being so easily overlooked? Your physical beauty, the quality of your car, your income, what if none of that matters in the end? In Proverbs it tells us that charm is deceptive. Deceive means to mislead by a false appearance or statement. Some synonyms for deceive are: outwit, trick, entrap, ensnare, and betray. Deception leads us down a path that enables us to believe lies that we may not even know we are believing. Many forms of media have deceived us into believing that our physical beauty and our possessions are of more worth than what is inside of us. But let me tell you the truth: you are far more valuable than any physical possession on this earth.
Your value does not come from the clothes you wear, the car you drive, the money you earn, or the compliments you get from people. Your worth comes from the Creator of the Universe, the One who breathed life into your very being. Your worth comes from the beautiful person you are without any makeup. Your worth comes from the person you are even when you have nothing to give. There aren't any achievements, awards, or praise you can earn that will improve what you are already worth. In the eyes of the Lord, you are already as valuable as you can ever be regardless of how badly you have messed up or how well you've done.
What lies or deception has physical beauty and charm led you to believe? If you have allowed what you look like to be of more concern than who you are then it's time to step away from the deception that comes with valuing charm and physical beauty over who you are inside.
