“In prison, the most difficult thing was to live without a Bible.”

Aida Skripnikova was a beautiful young woman. In her early twenties, she stood on a corner in the streets of Leningrad and handed out poems declaring her love for Jesus and her joy in knowing him as Lord and Savior. She was soon arrested, but she proved to be resolute in her convictions, even though she was sentenced to a year in prison.
By the time Aida was twenty-seven years old, she faced her fourth prison term for her determination to defend the gospel. She had remained outspoken, saying in one publication, “We cannot be silent about what constitutes the whole meaning of our life—Christ.”
Her fourth stay in prison proved her most difficult. The guards constantly tried to corrupt her faith with everything from abuse to offers of chocolate. But the hardest thing for her was living without God’s Word. Her copy of the Scriptures was confiscated. As a punishment, she spent ten days in solitary confinement. Later she received a New Testament and guarded it as more precious than life.
When she was finally released, Aida was hardly recognizable—her dazzling beauty was gone, and she looked decades older. But the love of God shone through her smile, restoring her unparalleled beauty from within.

In many grocery stores, beauty creams outnumber canned vegetables. The cosmetics aisle is crammed with formulas promising to renew and restore our outward appeal. If only we were as concerned about our inner character as we are our outward appearance. Martyrs teach us to value the renewal of who we really are on the inside. The inner self. This is the person that no amount of torture can dismay. This is who is evolving into the image of Christ. You may wish to impress others according to worldly standards. However, God thinks your inner self is far more striking. Are you as focused on your inner character as on your outward appearance? In what ways is your inner self growing more beautiful as you age?