Godly advice from a movie star? Yes, it sometimes happens.
Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada and I’ve always been a fan of Audrey Hepburn. Graceful, beautiful, cultured, elegant, a quiet spirit – those are the words that describe her best. Don’t know a whole lot about her movies, but I enjoyed her book and loved reading her interviews. Even though she was adored by fans around the world, the thing that always impressed me about Miss Hepburn, was that she never seemed to make a big deal about her great looks, and, in fact, she had some great advice for women who spent a lot of time trying to make themselves look better. In fact, once when she was asked for her opinion on the secret to cultivating real beauty, this is what she said…
“If you want to have attractive lips, speak words of kindness. For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people. For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry. For beautiful hair, let a child run their fingers through it every once a while. For poise, walk with the knowledge that you never walk alone. People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed – never throw out anyone. Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, you will find one at the end of each of your arms. As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands – one for helping yourself, and the other for helping others.”
Those are pretty wise words from Audrey Hepburn, don’t you think? Real beauty, real attractiveness is something you, well… carry, something in your character. I know that, for me, soon to be 62 years old, you can only use so much cover stick and anti-wrinkle cream. Not long ago, in fact, I asked a friend, “You know, I don’t want to be one of those people who, when they get old, they wear not less make-up, but more. Too much rouge, too much eye brow pencil, too much perfume… you know?” My friend assured me – and my husband has told me this, too – that, don’t worry, we’ll tell you when to lighten up on the lipstick.
It’s not that I care to be like Audrey Hepburn; I want to be like the woman in First Peter 3:3-5 which says, “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.” You know, I like that word in there “unfading.” Because as we women get older, that inner beauty won’t fade – the life of Christ shining through our eyes, our smile, our touch, and words will not fade with age. That is something I want to strive for, especially knowing that those things are of great worth in the sight of God.
As far as I know, Audrey Hepburn never confessed this, but a sweet and close relationship to God is where real beauty begins. And if you want to show someone how accessible God’s love really is, then I’ve got a beautiful booklet for you entitled just that – “Access to God.” It’s filled with scriptures, a Gospel message, and full-color illustrations of my artwork. And I’ve got two booklets for you – one in English and one in Spanish. You can pick up your copies today when you visit my radio page at joniandfriends.org. And remember today Psalm 45:11 “Let the king be enthralled by your beauty; honor him, for he is your Lord.”
Used by permission of
JONI AND FRIENDS
P.O. Box 3333
Agoura Hills, CA 91376
© Joni and Friends