1 Peter 3:3 Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes.
This statement from Peter to wives goes so counter to culture. Women spend huge amounts of time and money to adorn themselves outwardly. I have to be careful what I say, but I wonder what motivates this. Why spend $25 every week to get one’s hair done, or have closets full of clothes that one never wears, or other things? What is below the surface of this? It seems that a lot of the drive of the market place is towards people’s vanity, for outward adornment. This is an issue in today’s world not just for women but also men. How does modesty fit in to the Christian life? What does it mean to dress ourselves in simplicity? I was taught as a child to put my best clothes on Sunday morning to go to “church.” I visited a church not long ago where most of the men wore suits and ties and most of the women wore dresses, and this was a Sunday evening service. Sometimes we see the opposite extreme. Also not long ago, I was at another church where one of the singers on the platform was wearing shorts. How we dress and our hair style is very cultural. How can we dress ourselves in such a way that is honoring to God and honoring to the people around us? Peter wants wives to find their self-worth not in trying to make themselves beautiful on the outside but in making themselves beautiful on the inside with pure hearts. We can seek simple living without all the distractions of our cultures. This may be different in various cultures, so we need to learn to listen to the guidance of the Holy Spirit and dialogue within the community of believers.
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