This morning I read a verse in Proverbs that smarted a little but I honestly loved the word picture it used. It’s the type of verse that reels you in from frivolous pursuits – like wrinkle cream, diet pills, beauty product must-haves with breakthrough technology – all the things that catch my eye and attention.
At age 43, I find myself fighting off the grey hair, adult acne and wrinkles. Honestly, these are just the realities of getting older and retailers are cashing in on our dilemma. Getting older is not my favorite thing. But Proverbs 31:30 says, “Beauty is fleeting” and it’s true. So, as I grow in truth, I’m reminded I need to pay less attention to outward beauty and more on the beauty in my heart.
You’ve heard the phrase, “Beauty is skin deep but ugliness goes clear to the bone.”
You’re probably thinking of examples of “bone ugliness” as you read…those who pride themselves in wreaking havoc with a barrage of careless or caustic words. The rants. The celebration of self-awareness and freedom to speak one’s mind. The demand for the right to “be who I want to be”.
Often at the other end of that type freedom are wounded individuals caught in the crossfire. It’s not very beautiful. In fact, physical beauty doesn’t even come into account when someone lacks discretion. What I mean is that it doesn’t matter if you have the best hair stylist or color, whether you are a size 4 or 6, whether your teeth are china white, or your skin is smooth and flawless. If you have all these things and lack discretion, you can be downright ugly.
So I had to ask myself…
Have you majored on the minors?
Have you focused too much on the temporary and neglected the eternal?
What can I do to develop a beauty that goes clear to the bone?
This morning I was encouraged and challenged by the simple reminder I read in Proverbs 11:22:
Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout is a beautiful woman without discretion.
Discretion is defined as the quality of behaving or speaking in such a way as to avoid causing offense or revealing private information – (AKA TMI – too much information)
Does my beauty regimen include a heavy application of discretion?
Do my words cause offense or reveal too much?
Do I reflect self-control in my conversations and attitudes?
In what ways do I need to use more discretion?
Who do I impact with my choices regarding my words and actions?
What would my conversations look like if I exercised more discretion?
What would change?
Today’s post is simple – call it a commercial for discretion. It’s one of the best beauty products I could ever recommend.
Proverbs 2:11 says, “Discretion will guard you, Understanding will watch over you.”
Proverbs 16:22 says, “Discretion is a life-giving fountain to those who possess it.”
Today part of my beauty routine will be to exercise discretion. How about you?
Gelsie - Tammy, this is a wonderful read. It is definitely an eye opener. Thank you for posting 🙂