Gentle and quiet spirit

"Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes.  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." 1 Peter 3:3-4

My sister is beautiful.  I have always thought this and always looked up to her - my big sister.  I have admired her from the time I could walk.  My mother said I was always the "me too" girl.  If my sister was doing something, I wanted to also.  When we look at pictures from our childhood, our hair was always cut the same, our clothes were similar.  As we grew older people would ask if we were twins.  I took this as a compliment since it must have meant that I looked like her.

As we have grown older, she is still beautiful.  I still look up to her.  What I look up to now is not just her physical beauty, but the gentle and quiet spirit that I witness in her on a regular basis.  Even when her patience is being tested, she remains calm.  Even when someone loses their temper with her, she responds in a quiet, kind manner.  She is my example of this verse.  And this is what I strive for.

Unfortunately, I have a ways to go.  My temper flares.  I allow words out of my mouth before I have thought them through.  Each time, God is giving me another opportunity to make the gentle and quiet choice. 

Lord, help me succeed more often than fail.  Grant me a gentle and quiet spirit in the altercations of life.

In His Grace...