Part 2: A "Gentle and Quiet Spirit" Exhibit

Hey, girls!

Yesterday I asked you to vote on whether Sammy or Melanie won the award for a "gentle and quiet spirit." Are you ready for my vote? I pick Sammy!

Are you surprised? I think Mary Kassian will help you understand. In her book Girls Gone Wise In a World Gone Wild, she says:

"Calmness is the second characteristic of a Girl-Gone-Wise. Most translations use the word quiet to describe this attitude of serenity and tranquility. Being calm means being settled, firm, immovable, steadfast, and peaceful in spirit. A calm disposition is like a still, peaceful pool of water, as opposed to a churning whirlpool that's agitated and stirred up."

Isn't that a great word picture? While Melanie was a "sweet, quiet thing," her stomach hurt due to anxiety. She wasn't like a peaceful pool of water, but a churning whirlpool.

Mary Kassian also says, "Quietness has more to do with the state of our hearts than the quantity and volume of our words (although the one definitely influences the other). Even women who are gregarious, extroverted, and sociable can achieve a calm, tranquil spirit."

That's why I picked Sammy. She may snort and talk in an "outdoor voice," but she loves God and people. Her heart is at peace—even though she's "gregarious, extroverted, and sociable."

Not that you have to be like Sammy. "Sweet, quiet" girls can have a "gentle and quiet spirit" too. I just wanted to challenge your perception of what this could look like. You don't have to have a personality transplant in order to achieve "unfading beauty."    

But if you don't have this kind of disposition, how do you get it? The secret to this beauty that is so precious to God is found in the next verse:

For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to make themselves beautiful (1 Peter 3:5).

Did you catch that? This kind of response to life is possible when you hope in God. When you trust in His love and care for you.

If you don't trust God like this, the best way I know to change that is to get to know Him—His love for you, His powerful working in History, His promises for your future. You'll get to know Him as you dig into His Word, and ask Him to grow your trust in Him.

Thanks for playing, ladies. I pray that every day we will become more and more beautiful to God—and others—as we put our hope in God, do what is right, and do not give way to fear.