Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“Rather, let your adornment be the inner self with the lasting beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in God’s sight.”
NL Daily Devotion for Monday, July 25, 2022
by R. M. Fergus, Clergy Stuff
Leaving aside the egregious sexism/misogyny inherent in this portion of 1 Peter (if you can…) there is something to be said about inner vs. outer beauty. I actually think of the song “Stupid Girls” by P!nk, in which she rails against those who seem only to care about impressing men through physical appearance (and sexual availability). She sings “Outcasts and girls with ambition—that’s what I wanna see!”
There’s also something to the old adage that “you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.” If you really want to convince someone of something, coming at them with (metaphorical) guns blazing may not always be the best option.
Then there’s what I’ve learned in the rooms of recovery—that you can’t push someone else until they’re ready; that you can only share your own experience, strength, and hope; that the kind of gentle and quiet spirit the writer of 1 Peter describes is fully attainable in the profound peace that comes with recovery. But this isn’t just for women. Everyone—male, female, trans, nonbinary. It’s not about acting within a patriarchal framework of submissiveness. In fact, a gentle and quiet spirit can be intensely powerful and subversive.
There are definitely times and situations that call for direct action—now more than ever—but there is a great deal that can be done to change the world through leading by example.
Do I feel I have a quiet and gentle spirit? How can this help me effect change?