"Mirror, Mirror on the Wall"

In the well-known and much-loved fairy tale of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, there is a part when Snow White's wicked stepmother asks her enchanted mirror: "Mirror, Mirror, on the wall, who's the fairest of them all?", to which the mirror would respond by saying the name of the most beautiful woman in the land.

_________________________________________
Girls are always trying to find some way to make themselves more attractive. They pore over latest fashion magazines. They spend hours in front of the mirror - primping their hair, fussing over their clothes, worrying about their looks.

Being a girl, I admit that there were times when I used to worry about my looks. Everyone seemed to think that physical beauty was very important for a girl, and I guess I thought so too.
By God's grace, as I grew older, I learned that what matters most is not how you look, but what you are.

Proverbs 31:30 says:

"Favor is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised."

Favour, or charm, may look good, but once you have it, you'll find it unsatisfying. Physical beauty is nothing. It won't last forever, and it isn't essential to life.
Instead of focusing on our looks, we need to focus on the Lord and how to become more like Him.

_________________________________________
Most people have grown used to judging others by their physical appearance. Instead of looking at a person's heart, we tend to focus on what the person wears and how he or she looks. We judge people by the way we see them, often stopping at the looks and never proceeding to know the real person behind them. Nevertheless, that is not how God wants us to regard people.
The Bible says:

"...man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart." (1 Samuel 16:7)

God does not look at our face or our clothes, or what we have. He looks at our hearts, and He wants us to do the same. He wants us to see people by who they really are deep within - the heart.

The same applies to ourselves. We are oft times so busy focusing on trying to look beautiful that we forget that it's the heart God looks at, and not the face.
We spend all our time, money, and effort in making sure we look beautiful, but we never stop to think about what kind of heart we have and what kind of life we live. People may judge you by your physical appearance, but remember that what is in your heart is what matters most.
Being physically beautiful is not what counts - being beautiful from within is. Instead of poring over fashion magazines and worrying in front of the mirror, spend that time with the Lord, getting to know Him more. Our purpose should be focused on becoming more like our Heavenly Father, and not like the fashion magazines.

There are still times when I catch myself looking at the mirror and worrying about my looks, and then I am rebuked by the Holy Spirit - "Beauty is vain."

Here's a challenge for all of us (especially girls): Every time you look at your reflection and wish you were more beautiful, think about what your heart and life would reflect if you could see them from a mirror.