The Kind of Beauty Time Can’t Take

Proverbs 31:30Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.Proverbs Daily is a reader-supported publication. All posts are free, but all donations help spread the message. When you see the word “upgrade,” you’re simply invited to help me make the sacred positively contagious...thank you in advance for becoming a free or paid subscriber.Let me exercise a little preacher privilege for a moment. You know… that thing we preachers do where we ahhh borrow stories from moments with our own families without telling them we’re gonna use it…for sermon illustrations and to make a point…it’s for the greater good. I promise–I won’t tell everybody’s business on this one.But on Christmas Day, my mother and my niece had a little devotion time together and they used this verse as their verse of the day and decided to do their own Proverbs Daily devotional. Now first of all—how dare they be that precious. Second of all—how dare they not invite me. 😄My mom is in her late 70s. My niece, Dasia, just turned 30. Two women. Two generations. One verse. So many discoveries!They told me they sat with Proverbs 31:30 and realized some powerful things: this verse isn’t condemning beauty. It’s putting praise in its proper place!📖 WHAT THE VERSE IS REALLY SAYING“Charm is deceptive.” Not evil—just unreliable.“Beauty is fleeting.” Not bad—just temporary.But “a woman who fears the Lord…” Ahhh That’s different.And Dasia, my niece said something that stopped me in my tracks. She said, “I don’t fear God like I’m scared of Him. I fear God like I’m afraid to live without Him.”She said, “I don’t want to go back to not hearing Him, not sensing His presence, not feeling His Word shape my life.”Whew.That’s the kind of fear Proverbs is talking about. Not terror. Attachment. Not dread. Devotion.🌿 TWO WOMEN, SAME WISDOMHere’s what moved me about this sacred moment. Both my mom and my niece have lived long enough to know this truth firsthand:They’ve both played the “turning heads” game. They’ve both been admired. They’ve both been seen.And yet they’ve both arrived at the same conclusion: It’s not about how many people look at you— it’s about who can benefit from what’s been graced into you.(I was like…what?! Graced into you…ohh I’m gonna use that)The verse says that kind of inner beauty is “to be praised” because it lasts. It deepens. It becomes more beautiful over time.🧭 A YEAR IN REVIEWAnd here’s where this hits me personally.Today is the last day of the year. We made it. 365 days ago, I made a quiet commitment to show up daily and walk through Proverbs— Sharing what’s been ‘graced into my little Ol’ soul from over 40 years of reading Proverbs daily. Not perfectly, not flashily, Just faithfully.And as I close this year, Proverbs 31:30 reminds me: the real praise isn’t for presentation. It’s for sincerity.Not how polished it was. Cause it wasn’t. Not how viral it got. Cause it didn’t. But how honest the offering was.Charm fades. Flash fades. But devotion endures.🔥 REMEMBER BELOVEDWhat lasts longest is what’s rooted deepest.PrayerLord, let devotion outlast charm and shape my coming year.Today’s ChallengeAs this year closes, ask yourself one question: What part of my life is rooted deep enough to last? Name it. Honor it. Carry it forward.About the AuthorFred Lynch is a creative communicator, author, and Christian Hip Hop pioneer. To learn more about Fred and what he’s up to now…click here or you can find him in all the socials by searching the handle: heyfredlynch📱Experience Proverbs Daily by Subscribing!Ready to receive daily wisdom directly on your phone?Go to proverbsdaily.org for the app  or just click that Subscribe button right now!Be Wise and Be Well...peace.Thanks for reading Proverbs Daily! This post is public so feel free to share it. Get full access to Hey Fred Lynch! at heyfredlynch.substack.com/subscribe