Leslie Ludy - The Lost Art of True Beauty: The Set-Apart Girls Guide to Feminine Grace

LESLIE LUDY

HARVEST HOUSE PUBLISHERS

EUGENE, OREGON

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Verses marked NASB are taken from the New American Standard Bible, 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org)

Verses marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version. NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

Verses marked RSV are taken from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1946, 1952, 1971 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Verses marked KJV are taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

Verses marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, IL 60189 USA. All rights reserved.

Published in association with Loyal Arts Literary Agency, LoyalArts.com.

Cover by Left Coast Design, Portland, Oregon

Cover photoJames Pauls/iStockphoto

THE LOST ART OF TRUE BEAUTY
Copyright 2010 by Winston and Brooks, Inc.
Published by Harvest House Publishers
Eugene, Oregon 97402
www.harvesthousepublishers.com

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Ludy, Leslie.

The lost art of true beauty / Leslie Ludy.

p. cm.

ISBN 978-0-7369-2290-6 (pbk.)

1. Christian womenReligious life. 2. Beauty, PersonalReligious aspectsChristianity.

I. Title.

BV4527.L83 2010

248.843dc22

2009021250

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, digital, photocopy, recording, or any otherexcept for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.

Printed in the United States of America

10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 / VP-NI / 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

How beautiful are the arms which have embraced Christ, the hands which have touched Christ, the eyes which have gazed upon Christ, the lips which have spoken with Christ, the feet which have followed Christ. How beautiful are the hands which have worked the works of Christ, the feet which treading in His footsteps have gone about doing good, the lips which have spread abroad His Name, the lives which have been counted loss for Him.

C HRISTINA R OSETTI

O ver the past decade Ive had the privilege of interacting with thousands of Christian young women. Every so often I meet a young woman who is truly a cut above the rest; a girl who has forsaken the empty beauty promoted by the culture and embraced a heavenly radiance that impacts everyone she meets. Each time I encounter such a young woman, Im reminded of Song of Solomon 2:2: Like a lily among thorns, so is my darling among the maidens ( NASB ). And I am inspired afresh to pursue the stunning beauty of Christ rather than the fleeting beauty of this world.

It is my hope and prayer that this book will inspire you toward the same end. We live in a world where hollow feminine allure is applauded and where true feminine radiance is mocked. I hope that as you read these pages you will catch a vision for feminine beauty as God intended it to be. No matter what your version of feminine beauty has been up to this point, its never too late to let Christ transform you from the inside out with His version of loveliness; the kind of beauty that reflects His glory and impacts others for eternity. He is eager and willing to shape us into lilies among the thorns.

Here are a few things to keep in mind as you read. This book is filled with practical advice on applying Christlike feminine beauty and grace to our daily lives, addressing issues such as social etiquette, dressing with dignity, and communicating with Christlike grace. But, as the first few chapters of this book will explain, it is imperative that these practical principles flow out of the right foundation, a life that has been overtaken by Jesus Christ and a heart that is fully and completely His. If we try to exude feminine dignity and grace in our own strength, we will only achieve a humanly manufactured beauty that will not reflect the glory of God. So I encourage you to put the practical advice offered here in its proper contexta heart full of love and gratitude to our King and an inner life transformed by His grace.

Some of the principles in this book may seem a bit old fashioned. Honor, decorum, ladylike dignitythese are not ideas promoted by modern society. To many of us, they are foreign concepts. Thats why this book is called The Lost Art of True Beauty. If you choose to let Christ overtake your femininity, you will exude a beauty that is altogether strange to the world around you. And yet it is this kind of rare beauty that has the potential to make an eternal difference in this world.

In this book I share several examples of the specific ways God is teaching me true Christlike feminine beauty. However, these examples are not meant to imply that Im a finished product in this arena. I am continually being stretched and challenged in these areas, and I know God will be continually refining me into His likeness for the rest of my existence on this earth. I also use examples of many young women Ive observed up close. Some reflect heavenly beauty, and some reflect the counterfeit beauty of the culture. In all of these cases the names and some details have been altered in order to protect privacy.

I attempt to write all of my books in a casual, down-to-earth styleas if you and I were sitting across from each other in a coffee shop and having a heart-to-heart chat. I hope you will feel that way as you read this book. This is a topic that is very close to my heart. I know God has a tremendous plan for your life and your femininity, and I pray that this message will encourage you to become fully and completely His.

How beautiful and how delightful you are, my love, with all your charms!

S ONG OF S OLOMON 7:6 NASB

A bout a year ago, my husband, Eric, and I visited Disneyland with our kids. Hudson, our three-year-old, found great delight in the Its a Small World boat excursion, which we dutifully rode 12 times. Harper, our one-year-old, clapped and giggled with wild enthusiasm during the parades and developed a special bond with a life-sized Eeyore, who remains her very favorite animated character. We had an unforgettable time. I had never been to Disneyland before and was impressed by how fairytale-ish everything was.

While in the Magic Kingdom, it seemed that every few minutes another little girl would walk by in a princess costume. Each time the girl would have a happy smile on her face and walk with her head held high. Sometimes she would do a little spin just to watch her frilly dress swish around. She was living out the ultimate little-girl fantasyto be a real princess in an enchanted fairy tale, even if just for one day. I almost wished I were eight again.

When I was a little girl, I loved wearing frilly, lacey, puffed-sleeved princess dressesthe more poof, the better. But back then the Disney Princess outfits hadnt come onto the scene, so I had to settle for wearing fancy nightgowns or bridesmaid dresses my mom picked up at secondhand stores for my dress up collection. They were always about five sizes too large, but I loved wearing them anyway. I would twirl around the backyard and pretend I was the most beautiful princess in all the land.