"Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised."
- Proverbs 31:30
In April 2011, in a densely populated California neighborhood, an eighty-two year old woman was found dead in her dilapidated home. A neighbor had noticed letters in the lady’s mailbox were yellowing around the edges and cobwebs were growing in the doorway. The neighbor acted on her suspicion that something was wrong and forced her way into the house, finding the corpse in a mummified state. Medical examiners said the lady might have been dead as long as a year, as she was last reported seen alive in 2010.
What makes the story even more interesting is that this lady had been a movie star and was once a Playboy Playmate of the Month centerfold. How could someone of such notoriety die in her home undetected by those living just a few feet away?
I’m sure there are many explanations that could be given for this sad occurrence. What comes to mind is the fact that we live in a disposable society. We discard items that are still useful for the latest edition of the item we have grown tired of. Professional athletes, pop music artists, movie stars – they all come and go. Many of the ones who dominate the headlines today won’t be able to be found five years from now. We discard them, casting our gaze toward their replacements.
Max Lucado, commenting on his book by the title “Fearless”, said one of the biggest and most common fears people have is the fear of coming to the end of their life without it having counted for something – in other words, the fear of having lived an insignificant life. Perhaps we fear insignificance because we see people the world deems significant – today’s famous icons – fading from the scene, just like this former movie star and model that was forgotten by those who once adored her.
The Bible gives us the answer to true significance – the fear of the LORD. Proverbs 1:7 states, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” Fear of the Lord simply means to honor and respect God – to live in awe of his power, and obey his word.
Charm and beauty have a limited shelf life, “and after that comes judgment.” Let us resolve to strive for true significance by living in awe of God’s greatness, in obedience to his Word. Living out the Great Commandment – to love God and love others – is the key to true significance.
You have been created with and for a divine purpose – find it, invest in it, and live it to its fullest!