Peter highlighted the beauty of the inner self and used Abraham’s wife, Sarah, as an example of a woman who pleased God. He connected the women of his day to Sarah with two criteria: “You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear.” (I Peter 3:6)
I love our beautiful daughters, Kinsey and Karlyn. I admire their inner beauty and their love for God. Of course I want them to always do what is right, but I am a bit concerned about how they interpret “not giving way to fear.”
Five years ago, Kinsey spent a semester in Zambia. This season of time sealed her desire to be nurse. She is now a labor and delivery nurse in Little Rock. On their class excursion to Livingstone, Kinsey and her roommate bungee jumped off a bridge over Victoria Falls, one of the seven natural wonders of the world. She lived to tell about it, but in January of 2012, an Australian girl jumped at the exact place and the bungee chord broke. This brave young lady survived the fall into the crocodile-infested Zambezi River, but Kinsey and Karlyn’s university decided to forbid future jumps by their students who study abroad in Zambia.
Susan and I were pleased with the school’s wise decision as Karlyn left in August to spend a semester in Africa. Needless to say, we were quite shocked by the picture our youngest daughter sent from Livingstone this past weekend. There is a certain place at the top of the falls that can serve as an overlook when the water is not too high. This spot is called ‘the devil’s pool’ and instead of ‘fleeing from the devil,’ Karlyn fearlessly swam to the edge for a happy pose. Heaven help us.
“Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, 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. For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to adorn themselves. They submitted themselves to their own husbands, like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her lord. You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear.” I Peter 3:3-6