God Looks Inside

Lord, what makes a person truly beautiful?

Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone. Do everything without complaining and arguing, so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as my children, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people. Don’t be concerned about the outward beauty of fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry, or beautiful clothes. You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to me.

Colossians 4:6; Philippians 2:14-15; 1 Peter 3:3-4

How can I learn to see beauty in others the way you see it?

Don’t judge by appearance. I don’t see things the way you see them. You judge by outward appearance, but I look at the heart.

1 Samuel 16:7

What can I pray to better see the inner beauty in others?

Lord, when I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers—the moon and the stars you set in place—what are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them? Yet you made them only a little lower than yourself and crowned them with glory and honor.

Psalm 8:3-5

When you’re with others, are you more focused on their inner or outer appearance? Today, make a point to ask heart questions that can help illuminate the beauty within. Some examples might be, “What’s the most important thing going on in your life, and how do you feel about it?” or “When are times you’ve felt the most happy/sad/scared?”