“Your adornment must not be merely the external–
braiding the hair, wearing gold jewelry, or putting on apparel;
but it should be the hidden person of the heart,
with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit,
which is precious in the sight of God.”
~~1 Peter 3:3-4~~

As I read this passage this morning about Peter saying beauty isn’t just external, my first thought was, “Oh, thank goodness!!”.  But honestly, when Peter said beauty comes from within a person, well that was a little “ouchie”.  I mean, if I’m honest, the things that emanate from me at times are anything but beautiful.  At this point, already being convicted, I wasn’t so sure I really wanted to dig in to discover the imperishable qualities God calls precious in His sight.  But God brought this passage to me, so dig I did.

The overriding principle I was seeing was that I have a choice to make regarding my focus.  

“Do I want to be pretty to people OR precious to God?  

God says it’s the “hidden person of the heart with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit” that is precious to Him.  The heart is where true beauty comes from.  When I considered the term imperishable quality, what came to mind is how from the day we are born we begin to die.  Our bodies age.  Wrinkles eventually appear.  We slow down.  And one day (if Jesus doesn’t return first) our bodies will die and will be placed in the ground to decay.  Well, isn’t that an encouraging thought, huh?  Well, take heart!   

“Therefore we do not lose heart. 
Though outwardly we are wasting away, 
yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.” 
~~2 Corinthians 4:16~~

With that focus, it makes so much sense to ignore the push of the culture for nips and tucks, botox and fillers, trends and styles, and focus instead on the inward qualities that are imperishable <áphtharto> – undecaying (in essence or continuance); immortal.  Let’s look at each quality and do some self-examination.  (Yeah, I don’t wanna either, but we’ll consider this spiritual growing pains).  

Before we move on, I want to establish what Peter is not saying – he is not telling us to ignore our bodies.  We should take care of them because they are temples of the Holy Spirit. (“Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own” 1 Corinthians 6:19).  What Peter is saying is that the body shouldn’t be our primary focus.  He is telling us that our focus needs to be on the spirit <pneuma>, the inward part of us, our thoughts and our mental disposition.  Those are the things we should be focusing on making beautiful. 

The dictionary defines spirit as the disposition or outlook of the mind, especially when vigorous or animated; the feeling, quality, or disposition characterizing something; prevailing tone or tendency.  

What went through my mind as I read the phrase “disposition of mind, especially when vigorous or animated” was that what a sponge has soaked up is revealed when it is squeezed.  With that in mind…

PAUSE TO PONDER what someone might say if they were asked to describe how you act and react to things.  What are your thoughts and mental disposition when challenged, or when criticized, or when your schedule gets changed, or when someone is snarky to you, or when you are behind the slowest car out there and you have to be somewhere at a certain time? (That last one was definitely an ouch for me).  The mind is such a big player in how the spirit is affected by things.  As usually is the case, what goes through the mind comes out the mouth, or at the very least, shows up on the face.  

“For as he thinks within himself, so he is.”
~~Proverbs 23:7~~

Let’s take a look at the two qualities of spirit that Peter mentioned – Gentle and Quiet.

GENTLE <praus> means mildness of disposition, gentleness of spirit, meekness

• Mild: gentle in nature and behavior; not sharp; not being involved in what is extreme; not severe 
• Humble: not proud; not thinking of yourself as better than other people; given or said in a way that shows you don’t think you’re better than another; having a spirit of deference
• Meek: enduring injury with patience and without resentment; not violent; submissive 
• Gentle: free from harshness, sternness, violence; soft, kind

PAUSE TO PONDER.  

• Am I gentle in nature and behavior – gentle from the INSIDE OUT?
• Do I defer to people or do I push to have things my way?
• If I do defer to people, is my motive to please God or to please people? (ouch)
• Do I really endure hard things with patience or merely “appear” so, grumbling on the inside?
• Do I endure hard things without resentment? (another ouch)

Sheesh – Studying “gentle” was painful.  Can’t wait for the word “quiet” (eyeroll)

QUIET <hēsychios> means tranquil; peaceful; still– undisturbed (inward), undisturbing (outward).  

• Tranquil:  free from agitation of mind or spirit: free from disturbance or turmoil : unvarying in aspect.
• Peaceful: peaceable; untroubled by conflict, agitation, or commotion : quiet, tranquil :  of or relating to a state or time of peace: devoid of violence or force
• Still: devoid or abstaining from motion; uttering no sound : quiet : subdued, low key : calm, tranquil : free from noise or turbulence
• Undisturbed: not destroying the tranquility or composure of : not thrown into disorder : not alarmed : not to put to inconvenience : not altered or interfered with : not agitated or troubled
• Undisturbing: not destroying the tranquility of a person or situation : not throwing disorder into a situation : not causing alarm : not causing inconvenience : not one to alter or interfere : not agitating or troubling people or situations
• In the Vulgate (the Latin translation of the Bible), the word used for “quiet” is sedatus, where we get the English word “sedate”.  Sedate is defined as keeping a quiet, steady attitude (inward) or pace (outward). 

PAUSE TO PONDER each of the qualities of a quiet spirit, bearing in mind that we are talking about what’s going on inside of you because that directly affects what goes on on the outside of you.  

• When situations around you are full of confusion or turmoil, do you get agitated, or are you able to remain peaceful and calm?  
• Do your actions and reactions promote peace, or do you tend to stoke the fire of conflict by dwelling on things or running scenarios in your mind?  
• When a stressful situation arises, are you among the first to “add your two cents”, or are you able to sit quietly?
• When situations arise, do you become irritated and agitated, or are you able to maintain a quiet spirit?
• Does your presence add to or take away from peace reigning in a stressful situation?
• Have you ever said, “my emotions are all over the place”?  That’s not being “sedate” –  an earmark of a quiet spirit.  (guilty as charged)

So many things are going through my mind right now, but the foremost is how a gentle and quiet spirit aligns so well with the fruit of the Spirit.  

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, 
kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, 
self-control; against such things there is no law” 
~~Galatians 5:22-23~~

PAUSE TO PONDER

• Is the Spirit’s fruit evident in my life, shaping my thoughts and feelings, actions and reactions? 
• If it isn’t evident, pause and ask God to show you why?  
• We all have the choice to submit to the Spirit’s control.  When He prompts you to react differently than you “feel like” reacting, will you obey Him?
• There are two choices to every situation: respond or react.  Reacting comes naturally; responding comes after allowing the Spirit to filter your feelings through God’s Word..  

Now that we worked through what a “gentle and quiet spirit” is, let’s look at the word “precious” (“a gentle and quiet spirit is precious in God’s sight”).  It is defined as: of great value or high price : highly esteemed or cherished.  Now think about those two aspects of “precious”.  

•  “Of great value or high price”.  We were of great enough value for God to sacrifice the life of His Son to pay the price for our sins.  It cost God dearly to redeem us.  
• “Highly esteemed or cherished”.  When we choose to allow the Spirit to have control of our thoughts and feelings, responding instead of reacting, can’t you just picture our Father in heaven, looking down and saying, “That girl right there…yeah, her.  Did you see how she responded to that situation, with a gentle and quiet spirit – she is so precious in my sight”?    

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, 
to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—
this is your true and proper worship.  Do not conform to the pattern 
of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. 
Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—
His good, pleasing and perfect will.” 
~~Romans 12:1-2~~

In view of God’s mercy, don’t you think the very least we could do would be to cooperate with His Spirit within us to develop a gentle and quiet spirit?   

“Your adornment must not be merely the external—
braiding the hair, wearing gold jewelry, or putting on apparel; 
but it should be the hidden person of the heart, 
with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, 
which is precious in the sight of God.”
 ~~1 Peter 3:3-4~~

This passage hit home on a lot of areas in my heart and mind where I need to let go of self and let God have His way in me.  How about you?  Did it hit you as hard as it did me?  Please know that I am praying for you.  Remember, you are not in this alone.  We are all works in progress.  

One more thing, yesterday I saw a meme on facebook that describes so well the effect a gentle and quiet spirit can have on those around the woman who possesses it.