“The Lord God made all sorts of trees grow up from the ground—trees that were beautiful and that produced delicious fruit.” – Genesis 2:9 

Ladies, God is the giver of external and internal beauty. Both are to be valued and stewarded as unto the Lord. Focusing on one without the other can dull your effectiveness in personal, professional, and spiritual spheres.

A beautiful fruit on the outside that brings worms on the inside is a turnoff. The same can be said of a gorgeous woman with a graceless heart. Contrast that with a fruit having a dusty exterior, which will most likely be overlooked even if its insides are tasty. Society has witnessed this similar neglect towards women who were crude or careless in appearance.

We all know that a pretty face without substance is vanity, but sometimes we think Christianity gives us a pass to not tend to the physical man. Yes, our godless culture often turns externals into idolatry, but the baby should not be thrown out with the bath water. Beauty is in the eye of the Creator, not Hollywood – so we aim to please Him before any other man. Yet, as we grow to understand the heart of the Father He will in turn teach us to appreciate and maximize the use of our bodily temples – the temporal flesh and the eternal spirit man.

If our beauty draws people however, (which it will), it is our responsibility to ensure that there is fruit being produced by our tree. Fruitless beauty is not tolerated in the Kingdom and will be cursed like the fig tree in Luke 11:12-14:

“Jesus noticed a fig tree in full leaf a little way off, so he went over to see if he could find any figs. But there were only leaves because it was too early in the season for fruit. 14 Then Jesus said to the tree, ‘May no one ever eat your fruit again!’”

Thankfully, we do not have to choose one side. Let’s not be afraid to be a Sarah, Rachel, or an Esther who were both beautiful for men to behold and fruitful in the way they served their husbands and households. God is a God of both beauty and fruitfulness. Do not be intimidated by the world’s perversion of a virtue that isn’t theirs in the first place. Be bold in representing true grace and charm in your culture – externally and internally.