True Beauty

Last week I had the privilege of reading Leslie Ludy's newest book, The Lost Art of True Beauty. As I started, I thought I was digging into a book for single girls on beauty, but what I actually had on my hands was a book about so many aspects of life that I think many girls and women could benefit from.

As a young women, it's so easy to lose focus. It takes literally no effort; it just happens. My eyes have been reopened to this by reading this book. As a young woman, we are called to reflect the glory and beauty of our Lord Jesus but it's so easy to be distracted by the things of this world and our personal desires.

In our modern world, we hear more about feminism than femininity. We are bombarded with messages about our looks, body and sex appeal but we rarely hear messages about a pure, sweet, godly and feminine beauty. Leslie brings us back to this in her book The Lost Art of True Beauty. She shows us what this means and how to live it out. It's truly a breath of fresh air.

A concept that is really promoted by our culture and the modern church is self-esteem, self-worth and feeling good about and serving yourself. Pamper yourself. You deserve it. The problem with this is the focus is on self and that's not in line with the Word of God. We are actually called to deny ourselves and pour ourselves out in love and service to the Lord and others. It not about us and our selfish desires. It's all about Him.

Social grace and etiquette are key to displaying true beauty. Leslie gets right down to good manners and intelligent conversation skills, something we lack far more often than we realize. She also speaks of being socially sensitive. Instead of being manipulative or controlling in social settings, reach out to those who are lonely or left out and treat guy friends with respect.

One thing I greatly appreciated about this book is that Leslie emphasizes balance and cautions against extremes. While she tells girls not to obsess over their looks and flaunt their bodies, she shows us that we don't have to dress in a drab, completely unfashionable manner either. She encourages readers to dress in a modest, feminine, classy, elegant and dignified manner. She provides great tips and advice concerning clothing, hair, makeup, posture and the way you carry yourself. This makes the book practical.

Leslie goes into so many different things, I couldn't possibly cover them all. She even covers homemaking and hospitality, providing again great practical tips. There's so much stuff that not only single girls, but married women would benefit from as well.

This is a Rebelutionary, do hard things kind of book that I would highly recommend to all girls. Also, check out the author on her website, SetApartGirl.com. May you also be blessed as I have been blessed.