Today someone asked me what makes a beautiful woman. Immediately my mind went to pretty dresses, shaved legs, put-together hair do’s, and a strong personality to match. Then, however, my mind was drawn to a story I have heard in church since I was a little girl- the story of Queen Esther.

If you aren’t familiar with the story, Esther became queen when the king decided to marry the most beautiful woman he could find. At first, it seems like a typical story- the beautiful girl gets everything she could ever want, but then Esther does something truly amazing: Esther convinced the king to change his mind and spare an entire race of people. This was a time in which women would never be allowed to make important decisions in their lives- much less make decisions about entire nations.

Something about Esther made her stand out to the king. Esther was beautiful. Not only beautiful in a physical way but in a deep way that captured the heart of a king. Her story teaches me that true beauty yields respect and that true beauty comes with power; it doesn't have to beg.

Women have power, what we do with that power is entirely our own decision. Physical beauty has the power to turn heads and cause men to fall weak at their knees. When abused, physical beauty creates temporary power and opens a door to manipulation. We see this so often in our society. Lust controls people. It traps men and women in its snares. However, physical beauty can not yield true power; it cannot demand respect.

Deep beauty that flows from the heart has the power to change the world. The king saw this kind of beauty in Esther and fell in love with her and respected her because of it. Esther's true beauty saved her people and pointed the earthly king to the Heavenly King. True beauty yields peace and reveals the love of God. This is why we as Christian women have to come back to this kind of beauty. Being a woman in the way God intends will fill a gap in the world that has been slowly falling apart since Eve disobeyed God and brought dishonor to her husband.

The objectification of women is not just happening in dark alleyways and behind closed doors. It's happening in Christian homes in front of our mirrors as we spend 2 hours on our appearance and only 10 minutes on God’s word, if that. I am afraid that we have somehow shifted our idea of beauty from an inner quality that can change the world to the right shade of foundation and the perfect eyebrows.

True beauty doesn't just happen; it's learned. It is the evidence of time spent in the word of God. It is the radiance of the glory of God. It is the overflow of the Holy Spirit pouring out in every action, every smile, every conversation, every day.

"Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised." -Proverbs 31:30