Marley has worked so hard to achieve perfection. Every minute she has to spare, she spends on fixing one thing or the other. But the difficulty of her situation is that she is not seeking societal or familial acceptance – but has put in so many hours simply to be acceptable to “herself”.

She wishes she could make one more change, but the previous fix only shines light on another adjustment that will ultimately make it all “perfect.” She spends most of her early morning hours in front of her bathroom mirror, trying to get it all together, and what she cannot out-rightly alter, she makes-up for.

One missing ingredient in Marley’s line of thought is that while she spends an incredible amount of time evaluating the container, she has completely neglected the substance – the content. There is a marked difference between the “container” and the “contents.” Usually, the contents are far more superior to the containers.

If you understand how much value God has placed on you, you will look beyond those seemingly physical imperfections and spend qualitative time evaluating the state of your heart.

You are beautiful the way you are because you are wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14-15).

Wait a minute – do not misunderstand me – I am all for dressing well and looking radiant, and I disapprove of those who appear shabby in the name of religious fanaticism, but to be excessively overwhelmed and spend so much time adorning our physical appearance at the expense of spending time in prayer and the study of God’s word – which will beautify us from the inside out – is a misplaced priority. (I Peter 3:3-5)

Instead of the outward adorning of the body, the Bible admonishes us to decorate our hearts by putting on much more excellent and beautiful ornaments – a meek and quiet spirit – which are everlasting charms of beauty that will never fade away. This is what is precious to God. So, the next time you spend more time dressing-up than you spend “dressing-in”, know that you are chasing the shadow at the expense of the substance. The Content is more important than the Container.