Caring for our Appearances

Do you ever just sit and look at your partner when they aren't looking back? It's considered one of those sneak peeks. Then if you look and they happen to catch you, does it bring a smile to your face? It does to mine. It happened to me recently and I must say it gave me a warm and loved feeling. Maybe you are a newly married couple and you still enjoy the excitement of the physical attraction. Or maybe you've been married for a long time, and your attraction to one another is more internal than external. But possibly age or time passed has nothing to do with it all because when your still building on love the right way that person still seems ideal to you. We have to face it though, makeup, padded clothing or clothes to make us look slimmer help hide some of our physical frailties. The fact is that no matter who you are you know in your own heart you are not a perfect specimen and you won't be a perfect specimen in this life. Spending hours at the gym, or working out at home will still reveal the bumps and blemishes that you will always carry with you. It's all part of life. It is for that reason that we must exercise a great deal of acceptance in marriage. We are none the god or goddess our spouse perceived us to be before marriage. It's good that our worth and our value is not based upon our appearance, and neither should it be. If it is, you are putting yourself in danger. You will drive yourself crazy trying to be perfect or even trying to be a better model while trying to make perfect what was never perfect in the first place. When it comes to our bodies, we must relax. A day will come when they will be made perfect. In eternity we will have new bodies. We will be changed and we won't even be concerned at how we look. If you want to become a new person and a beautiful one at that, then it's time you let Christ take over inwardly. Let the process of restoration begin on the inside. When you take that step toward the Holy one and you meet Jesus face to face you will know you have been made complete where it counts to be complete. The outward appearance will change as you change from within. Look at your body. Look at your spouses body. Tell each other you love them unconditionally. You may be incomplete physically now, but someday you'll be made new. God's plan is for each of us is to have a glorified body. But while we are here take good care of what you have and love that person you live with.....imperfections and all. After all, he or she is looking right back at a person with imperfections too! Our glorified bodies will come in God's timing so we need not worry about our shapes, broken bodies and surface blemishes. But whatever your shape or size you still need to dress modestly, be clean, comb your hair and be as attractive as you can without going overboard or to extremes. Keep in mind it's still your duty to look nice for your spouse. Caring for yourself shows you respect your spouse and does help to protect and keep a healthy marriage (More my thoughts with Quiet Times for Couples, page 275). Sherry