Let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious. —1 Peter 3:4
One day Esther was an orphan in a foreign land, and the next she’s a potential queen in the king’s palace. She could have responded to her dramatic change of circumstances in one of two ways.
First, she could have become demanding and controlling, letting her reversal of fortune go to her head. Or Esther could have shaken in terror at the prospect of being taken into the king’s chambers.
Yet we don’t see her doing either. Instead, she illustrates the principles of 1 Peter 3:1–6 in the form of a gentle and quiet spirit. What we see is a response of quiet trust, meekness and submission, balanced with courage and faith, and speaking when it was time to speak.
Esther likely experienced fear, but her actions show she trusted that God’s sovereignty was bigger than her fears. Fear of God protected her from being paralyzed by fear of man. This is beauty in the truest, purest sense of the word.
Make it Personal
What does it take to develop the type of beauty described in 1 Peter 3? How can you do that in your own life?