Tuesday, February 2, 2016

How attractive...

...are you?

This verse speaks volumes.
Genesis 12:11 - As he was approaching the border of Egypt, Abram said to his wife, Sarai, “Look, you are a very beautiful woman. (NLT)
The first thing that crossed my mind was whether Abram had ever complimented Sarah on her beauty before or even after that time or if he only said so for selfish self-preservation reasons. The second thing that a dear friend had pointed out to me a few years ago, is that Sarai was over 70 years old at this time and was still so attractive - not just in her husband's eyes but in many men's eyes as we see what actually happened in Genesis 20, when they moved to Gerar.

As I thought about this post, I felt led to talk about 5 things we should WATCH.
Weight: I don't know too much about weight but I know that our BMI (Body Mass Index) is a good way of determining whether your weight is right. There are many online tools you can use e.g.
http://www.bmi-calculator.net/
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/obesity/in-depth/bmi-calculator/itt-20084938

They also provide information on how you can change or maintain your lifestyle. The variable we can & should manage is our weight We can't do anything about our height - high-heels or not.

Appearance: The second thing is our appearance. Peter and Paul had a thing or 2 to say about this. It's interesting to note that one was married and the other wasn't and yet both gave essentially the same advice
1 Peter 3: 1-6 - The same goes for you wives: Be good wives to your husbands, responsive to their needs. There are husbands who, indifferent as they are to any words about God, 2will be captivated by your life of holy beauty. 3What matters is not your outer appearance - the styling of your hair, the jewelry you wear, the cut of your clothes - 4but your inner disposition. Cultivate inner beauty, the gentle, gracious kind that God delights in. 5The holy women of old were beautiful before God that way, and were good, loyal wives to their husbands. 6Sarah, for instance, taking care of Abraham, would address him as “my dear husband.” You’ll be true daughters of Sarah if you do the same, unanxious and unintimidated. (MSG)
1 Timothy 2: 9-10 - Likewise, I want women to adorn themselves modestly and appropriately and discreetly in proper clothing, not with [elaborately] braided hair and gold or pearls or expensive clothes, 10 but instead adorned by good deeds [helping others], as is proper for women who profess to worship God.  (AMP)
I'll let you decide for yourself what "right appearance" is; just note that what may be attractive & appealing to your husband at home isn't necessarily what you should show the rest of the world. The reason is simple - there are some things that are "for his eyes only" - enough said on that...

Talk: This is really about the 5 Ws & 1 H. It encompasses How, Where, When, Why we talk; What we talk about and Who we talk to (& sometimes about). Yes I have heard that some research shows that women speak about 3 times more than men per day - whether it's true or not, just take these verses to heart and mouth:

Proverbs 10: 11a - The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life and
his words of wisdom are a source of blessing, (AMP)

Proverbs 10:19 - Too much talk leads to sin. Be sensible and keep your mouth shut. (NLT)

Proverbs 13:3 - The one who guards his mouth [thinking before he speaks] protects his life;
The one who opens his lips wide [and chatters without thinking] comes to ruin. (AMP)
Col 4:6 - Be gracious in your speech. The goal is to bring out the best in others in a conversation, not put them down, not cut them out. (MSG)

Proverbs 31:26 - When she speaks, her words are wise,
and she gives instructions with kindness. (NLT)

We say, "a word is enough for the wise" - so I've just added more of the Word so we can be wiser.

Character: Character and Reputation are too easily confused. Reputation is external while Character is internal i.e. Reputation is who people know you as while Character is who you really are - as Christians, they should be the same.
If you ever felt that you need to choose one, take John Wooden's advice: "Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are." You can also read my post "Better than Pounds Sterling" where I talked about both in a bit more detail.

Humour: Here I'll just repeat what others have said about Humor

Proverbs 17:22 says - A cheerful disposition is good for your health; gloom and doom leave you bone-tired. (MSG)
A person without a sense of humor is like a wagon without springs 
- jolted by every pebble in the road. ~ Henry Ward Beecher

Humor is the great thing, the saving thing.
The minute it crops up, all our irritation and resentments slip away, and a sunny spirit takes their place. ~ Mark Twain

After God created the world, He made man and woman. 
Then, to keep the whole thing from collapsing, He invented humor.  ~Bill Kelly, "Mordillo"

I think the most attractive thing is a sense of humour. If someone can make you laugh, you've gotten a lot out of the way. ~ Kiefer Sutherland
A day without laughter is a day wasted. ~ Charlie Chaplin 
Laugh as much as possible, always laugh. It's the sweetest thing one can do for oneself & one's fellow human beings. - Maya Angelou
He who laughs, lasts. - Mary Pettibone Poole

I also wrote about the importance of laughter earlier in the year: Learn to L@Y"**

So here are at least 5 things we must all WATCH in order to remain attractive to God's glory.

References:
* http://sapphire-and-beryl.blogspot.com/2015/11/better-than-pounds-sterling.html
** http://sapphire-and-beryl.blogspot.ca/2015/08/learn-to-ly.html




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