Today, on National Women’s Day, our feeds will be full of inspiring quotes, beautiful pictures, and words of affirmation. And that’s good, it’s right to honour and appreciate women. Yet, as we celebrate, it’s helpful to gently remind ourselves to keep our hearts focused on God above all else.
Charm can impress for a moment. Beauty can turn heads for a season. But both eventually fade. What lasts, what God says is truly praiseworthy, is a woman who fears the Lord. With the latest beauty trends promising that we can be flawless if we just buy the right products, let’s make fearing the Lord our personal trend. Actually, more than a trend, let’s make it our way of life. Trends fade and are quickly forgotten but our reverence for God shapes eternity.
Sadly, Jezebel never understood this. In 2 Kings 9:30, right before her death, she put on makeup and fixed her hair, tending to the outside while ignoring the disaster within. Her heart was far from God, and no amount of outward beauty could save her. And it didn’t. Contrast that with Esther. She was indeed beautiful, but what made her stand out wasn’t her appearance, it was her courage, obedience, and faith in God. When faced with the choice between comfort and calling, she risked her life to save her people, declaring, “If I perish, I perish” (Esther 4:16). Her fear of the Lord shaped her decisions.
Living in the fear of the Lord means putting His Word above our feelings. It means obeying Him even when it costs us. It’s choosing integrity when no one is watching, kindness when people are unkind, and forgiveness when it’s not asked for. It’s waking up each day asking, “God, what will honour You most in how I live today?”
And so on this Women’s Day, let’s not just celebrate outward accomplishments or appearances. Let’s honour the women whose quiet strength comes from walking closely with God, whose influence lasts because it is grounded in Him. Because at the end of the day, beauty will fade and applause will fade, but a life lived in the fear of the Lord will shine forever.