In the old testament of the bible, Abraham’s wife Sarah was so beautiful in her old age, that even a king wanted to take her as his wife.

How did she do it?  How does an old woman turn the heads of kings?

How did she and the woman of the past make themselves beautiful?

The bible says that it was by not fearing that which is frightening (1 Pet 3:6).

There’s nothing more beautiful than a woman who’s not afraid.  It’s amazing how quickly the beauty of an outwardly attractive woman fades when a man realizes how insecure and afraid she is.  And it’s amazing how attractive a woman is to a man when she’s confident and unafraid, “laughing at the days to come” (Prov 31:25 NIV)  Hers is an unfading beauty. (1 Pet 3:4 NIV)

Let me be clear.  Men find outward beauty very attractive.  But nothing tarnishes the attractiveness of that outward beauty more than fear and insecurity.  And nothing amplifies that beauty more than being secure and unafraid.

This is where the Christian woman has the advantage.  Because she doesn’t have to fear the fading of her outward beauty, the difficulty of the days to come, death, sickness, abandonment, loneliness, neglect, loss, or submission to an imperfect and sometimes unloving husband.

Why?  Because her hope is not in those things.  Her hope is in something that can never be taken away from her.  Her hope is in the unchanging person of Christ.

Perhaps, the greatest fear many women have is the fear that they aren’t beautiful.  Whether it’s because their father never told them they were, or because they know they don’t look like the photoshopped women on the magazine covers in the grocery store isle, or because being a mom isn’t what this culture deems sexy.  Whatever the reason, many women struggle with this particular fear.

The good news is that the unfading beauty that is attractive to men and of great worth to God, is available. (1 Pet 3:4 NIV)

And it’s found in the man who gave his life to make you beautifully unafraid.

(Image Credit: The Library of Congress)