Gentle Spirit
“Do not let your adornment be merely outward—arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel— rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.”
Who's the loveliest woman you've ever known? Chances are famous movie stars or models might pass through our minds for a moment, but once we've had time to think, most of us would choose a mentor like a mother or grandmother because our love and respect for that woman sets her above the rest in our hearts.
Something or someone is beautiful to us if we love and value that person or thing for what we believe is good about them. So, when God tells us what true beauty is to Him, He's also telling us what He values. As 1 Peter 3:3-4 implies, physical beauty may be readily visible, but it also exists only on the surface and disappears when our physical body returns to the dust. Like a sculptor gradually chiseling away at a great stone, our every choice shapes the Inner woman we'll be for eternity, and this private, lasting reality is what matters to our Father.
God tells us a “gentle and quiet spirit” is beautiful and precious to Him. According to Strong's Greek Concordance, some translations use “humble” or “meek” instead of gentle in this verse. Strong’s also says the Greek word used for quiet is translated as “quiet and peaceable” in 1 Timothy 2:2. We don't easily see much of a connection with earthly beauty in these verses. The world thinks a woman is admirable and beautiful if her outward appearance is eye catching and impressive, she's aggressive, and she puts herself first. We're told this is self care and self respect . On the other hand, a woman who submits to God, the government, and her husband as the rest of 1 Peter 3 instructs would likely be misunderstood as weak or unintelligent by the world.
Yet in Matthew 5:5 Jesus says, “Blessed are the meek, For they shall inherit the earth.”. Jesus himself is described as meek in Matthew 21:5, and so was Moses in Numbers 12:3. Clearly, capable, wise leaders like Jesus and Moses are neither weak nor lacking intelligence, so gentleness and quietness must mean something different to God.
Many of us know from experience when a small child under our care is tired, sick, or in pain, they'll rest their head against your chest and gently cuddle up to your side in a silent gesture of love and trust as a plea for help and comfort. Their body language shows you they know they're helpless without you, and they trust you to love them and take care of them. In an instant, that little child takes over every thought, emotion, and personal resource you previously focused elsewhere.
Our Father in Heaven cherishes us as His little children (Galatians 3:26), so when we love and trust Him quietly and meekly like a child, we are precious and beautiful in His eyes. What peace could we find if we trusted God instead of trying work things out alone? What if we stopped demanding God make our future turn out as we envisioned it? What if we prayed from the heart, “not My will, but Yours, be done” (Luke 22:42)? If we do these things, we're choosing to to live with the obedient, trusting heart of a dependent child of God. And nothing is more powerful or beautiful than that.
Prayer Journal Prompt:
Think of three times in your life when your prayers weren't answered how you expected. How can you find a blessing in each of those? Take a moment to thank God for His love and care for us, even if we're unaware of it or don't understand it at the time.
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