31 girl!

'Paapaa!!!Start some serious exercising..you're putting on too much of weight!",'Don't sleep in the afternoons!","I am going to put you on a diet from now on"(which by the way meant only oats for dinner and no rice!) -These were pieces of advice(accompanied by a loud,commanding voice)offered by my well-meaning Mom who,of recent,has become overly concerned about my weight!

We live in an era where immense care is taken to beautify one's looks.Every girl dreams for a  beautiful skin,shiny and flowing hair(like they show in the ads)and longs to look like Aishwarya Rai-thanks to the booming cosmetic industry that's come a long way in fulfilling this dream with its products,advertising and marketing strategies!Indians ,especially, are so obsessed with fairness,that no amount of fairness creams would suffice their cravings for a white skin.Not to mention the fact that the biodata of every Indian boy seeking marriage would contain something like this-'Expectations-white/fair,tall and slim girl'..Funny how we Indians seem to conjure up with ‘white’ to ‘black’ within the color brown.I agree that it is important that we look presentable and well groomed but most of the times it is overdone and the simple fact that beauty is only skin deep is completely forgotten.


The Bible,in Proverbs 31,talks about a woman of noble character.

A wife of noble character who can find?

   She is worth far more than rubies.

²⁶ She speaks with wisdom,

   and faithful instruction is on her tongue.

²⁸ Her children arise and call her blessed;

   her husband also, and he praises her:

³⁰ Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;

   but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.

How very true! A woman of noble character is hardworking,kind,gentle,wise,strong,honest,trustworthy and covered in love.True beauty is not on the outside..its on the inside -the only place that matters to God..Someone whose writings I admire blogged this -'God's idea of beauty is so far removed from ours for He looks directly into the heart. He seeks selfless hands calloused with helping others constantly, tired feet cracked with travelling miles out of the way for someone else, eyes reddened with tears for a neighbour's pain and lips worn with speaking words of comfort to those who need it. Every laugh line that came from making a saddened heart smile and every wrinkle that came from worrying for a friend's sake are precious in the Lord's sight. To Him, that is true beauty...the beauty of the soul inside the shell. Don't waste your time then on superficiality 'cos honestly, God doesn't care whether or not you permed your hair lately.'

So,girls,let's work on true beauty -Beauty that honours God - beauty portrayed by the woman in Proverbs 31-THE 31 GIRL!