What someone sees when they look in the mirror is very telling. I get to work out at a local gym in town (although I don’t do it nearly enough) and am struck by the fact that the rooms are filled with mirrors, which is likely to make the room feel larger than its actual size, but it also gives perceived masculinity an opportunity to flex its muscle after the burn of a workout (have you noticed guys flexing for themselves – it’s a little embarrassing, especially when I do it). Men like mirrors. We look in them and perceive the best image of ourselves. I’m not sure this is the case for women. The mirror is a place of potential disappointment, fear, insecurity, and failed comparison. How a woman views herself is imperative to how she views the world, understands God, and where she places value. But how should a woman truly think about her image?
The Bible is clear about this and gives a progression of thought. We have taken a few weeks to look at how a woman should think about herself when she looks at herself. Here is what we discovered:
- A Woman’s True Identity is found in her creation by God and her new creation in Christ
Every woman is created with the highest value of creation, as Adam AND Eve were created as the high point of creation, being BOTH created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27)
With the infiltration of sin in both the creation and the heart of mankind, the perception of that value has been muddied. However, with salvation in Jesus Christ, not only is a relationship with God restored, but the newness of creation is restored (2 Cor. 5:17). When women are truly Christ’s, when they are born again, their identity is restored, their past is forgiven, and their lives are hidden in Christ. In other words, they are restored in their standing in Christ, and what they see in the mirror is a redeemed woman, who is infinitely loved by Christ, who has been eternally accepted, and who will never be rejected. This is who a woman truly is.
- A Woman’s True Modesty flows from her identity and allows her to dress properly in every occasion with love of others in mind, not the looks of others
Once a woman’s identity is secure, she is truly free to live for Christ and others. She seeks to dress properly for every occasion with respect, care, and love for others because the gospel compels her that life is not about her, but about Christ and others. Modesty has humility at its heart, and deflects the gaze of others and tries to steer it to Christ. Modest women do not seek the attention of others in the way they dress because they simply do not seek the attention of others (1 Tim. 2:9-10).
- A Woman’s True Beauty is that which is unseen, except for the Lord, and can grow with her proven character in the Lord
A woman who finds her identity in Christ and the freedom to dress modestly knows that true beauty is more than skin deep and strives to pursue the only type of beauty that lasts: her character (1 Pet. 3:3-4). True beauty is that which is created and seen by God, which He sees as precious. God has clearly made women as pleasing in the eye of men, and that is expressed clearly in the context of marriage (Read the book of Song of Solomon for a tutorial on a husband’s joy in his wife’s physical beauty). A wise woman invests in lasting beauty, which is her quiet and gentle spirit, those things that are hidden in her heart but are imperishable.
- A Woman’s True Vitality comes from the freedom of being a worker in her home, working diligently to that end.
Proverbs 31:10-31 is a poem written on the virtues of an excellent wife. She is exemplified as one who fears the Lord (Prov. 31:30) and from that flow a wisely lived life. She starts with the priority of her home and lets it spill over from there. She is marked by virtue, loyalty, and rugged work ethic. She knows what areas are most important and works relentlessly to accomplish what is set out before her. She provides for her children, she frees up her husband, she shows compassion to the poor, is industrious, creative, strong, trustworthy, and prepared. This type of woman knows that working in the home is not weakness, and working in the home does not limit her to the four walls of a home.
Ladies, is the freedom you feel when you look in the mirror? Do you know that you are loved in Christ, beautiful in His eyes, and free to work hard as a result? That is my prayer for every woman who would ever stop to look at themselves in the mirror.
