Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised.

~ Proverbs 31:30 ~

Anyone familiar with the Proverbs 31 woman has of course heard or read this text above. Most however, I fear, disregard the beginning parts of this particular verse and just use the very last part "a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised".

The beauty this verse is speaking of, I believe, is the outward / external-only kind of beauty where one pretties herself up in order to be attractive to others, rather than having true, godly inward beauty that shines outwardly. True beauty does not come from painting your face [makeup, ect] (The wicked woman Jezebel painted her face.. why would we wish to imitate her? 2 Kings 9:30), making yourself look painted, powdered, and fake (and, think about it.. doing that is just saying to God — "Lord, I'm sorry to say that even though I'm fearfully and wonderfully made, you really didn't do such a good job on my looks, so I'll have to fix that and improve upon it myself."), doing fancy hair-do's, and fashionable clothing.

Oh, girls! When you adorn yourselves with external beauty, you make yourself into someone who is vain and empty, having no price and no worth, for you have no true beauty ~ if you did,  you would not need to be showering on the powder & makeup and fancy hair-do's and clothes to try to make yourself pretty.

Dear sisters, adorn yourselves with modesty, shamefacedness and sobriety, good works (which becometh women professing godliness), and a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price! We've all heard the saying "Beauty is as beauty does" and oh, how true it is! The following excerpt from a book shows, indeed, how true this saying is:

In the cloakroom of a certain school a question arose among some girls as to who had the most beautiful hands. The teacher listened to her girls thoughtfully. They compared hands and explained secrets of keeping them pretty. Nettie said that a girl could not keep perfect hands and wash dishes or sweep. Maude spoke of the evil effects of cold and wind and too much sunshine. Stella told of her favorite cold cream. Ethel spoke of proper manicuring. At last the teacher spoke.

"To my mind Jennie Higgins has the most beautiful hands of any girl in school," she said quietly.

"Jennie Higgins!" exclaimed Nettie in amazement, "why her hands are rough and red and look as if she took no care of them. I never thought of them as beautiful."

"I have seen those hands carrying dainty food to the sick and soothing the brow of the aged. She is her widowed mother's main help, and she it is who does the milking and carries the wood and water, yes, and washes dishes night and morning, that her mother may be saved the hard work. I have never known her to be too tired to speak kindly to her little sister and help her in her play. I have found those busy hands helping her brother with his kite. I tell you I think they are the most beautiful hands I have ever seen, for they are always busy helping somewhere."

In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array; But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works.

~ 1 Timothy 2:9-10 ~

Following the footsteps of Jesus,