There is one sure way to collect a crowd in a youth group meeting. Just walk slowly through the room with a large, flat, white, square box. That means ... pizza! "Show me a big white pizza box, and I will be your follower. I will come running." Have you ever noticed that most pizza boxes are very plain? You really don't notice anything on the box, because the box does not matter. Who spends time admiring the box? That box is attacked to get what is inside!
1 Peter 3:3-4 from God's Word says, "Your beauty should not come from outward adornment ... Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight." God says here that what really matters is the inner self, not outward adornment. Proverbs talks about a woman who is praised by her children, fully trusted by her husband, and admired by all those around. She is the woman everyone wants to be. Proverbs 31:10 says, "A wife of noble character who can find?" What's the secret? It's her noble character. Proverbs 31:30 says, "Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised."
The secret is her relationship with the Lord. What makes a woman valuable are the contents inside the container. How's that for a radical idea in a world where a woman's worth is usually measured by her figure and her face? Women look at a beautiful model in a fashion magazine, compare themselves, and say, "I don't look like that." Of course she doesn't! The model has been worked on for hours by the finest hairdressers and makeup artists, she has special lighting, then one photo out of 150 is selected and they airbrush that one! She doesn't even look like that because that woman doesn't really exist!
Both men and women have bought the sad lie that the pizza box is what matters instead of the pizza. We cannot stop the world around us from being superficial, but as followers of Jesus we can do better than that. Women who don't feel they measure up physically usually tend to withdraw and become negative and bitter. They give up on themselves and get discouraged. They kill the beauty inside that really matters because they are so focused on what they feel they don't have on the outside.
God's Word teaches us that our body is just an earth suit and a soul carrier. While we cannot choose to be physically beautiful, a person can choose to be beautiful inside. Not every woman can be gorgeous, but any woman can be radiant. The Bible says to go for the inner glow and to be a woman who makes other people feel important, who promotes others rather than herself, and who develops a joyful, daily walk with Jesus Christ. It is time that God's men and women go after the royal radiance that a prince or princess of God can have. That's what makes a woman a friend worth knowing and a partner worth loving for a lifetime.
Don't chase what you want to marry, instead be what you want to marry. Just ask any pizza lover. The box is only important for a minute, and then it's thrown away. For you, it's what's inside that really counts.