By Lindsey Jones
I have never been able to go out of the house without makeup. It is definitely a rarity in my world. Many of us use foundation, eyeliner, mascara and lipstick as a mask to hide what we really look like. This morning I was getting ready for work and the Lord placed it on my heart to trust Him and go in without the mask, to go in just the way He made me. He wanted to show me something today, and that is exactly what He did. I fought it at first. I wanted nothing more than to put on the foundation, eyeliner and mascara, turn out the bathroom light and drive on into work. Nope, the Lord brought me to my knees this morning. He wanted me to truly see me through His eyes. He wanted me to find my beauty from within, and not worry how I look on the outside.
So, what happened next you may ask?
He won. He always wins. I dried my hair, and I did not even straighten it, got dressed, and went to work.
I have seen things differently today. I can’t say it was easy. I have a mirror by my desk. Every time I got up, I would see myself and remember, oh yeah, no mask today. Then I got a little nudge. “What does it matter what they think? I made you just the way you are, and I think you are beautiful.”
1 Peter 3: 3-4 says, “Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles, and wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.” Nowhere in that passage does it say you must have a pretty face or the perfect body and then God will love you. Rather it says, a gentle and quiet spirit is of great worth in God’s eyes. That puts a big smile on my face and lights up those big brown eyes He gave me.
Can I be honest with you ladies? Before COVID-19, I never really had to do a Zoom meeting or facetime or any other virtual meeting for that matter. I am old fashioned in the sense of I would much rather meet in person, rather than over a screen. So, meeting via a screen was hard for me. I would be looking at myself on that small screen and thinking, eww, your hair isn’t right, your face is too fat, the whole time trying to move the camera to make a better picture.
That is not what the Lord wants us to do. He wants us to find our beauty from within and know that He made us just the way we are. We need to embrace it instead of hiding from it. The Lord loves each and every one of us so much more than we can imagine. He wants us to see through His eyes. Each time I would look in the mirror and try and put myself down, it didn’t work. I would then remember whose I was, and it didn’t matter what anyone else thought, not even me, because the one who created me thinks I am beautiful.
One of my favorite songs right now is Scars to Your Beautiful by Love & the Outcome. The chorus is this… “There’s a hope that’s waiting for you in the dark. You should know you’re beautiful just the way you are. You don’t have to change a thing. The world can change its heart.” That is so refreshing to me. We don’t have to change a thing. He loves us just the way we are. He sculpted us. He knew what we would look like and when we would have a pimple on our chin that we can’t seem to leave alone. He knew it all. He knew you would be sitting here right now, reading this and hearing how beautiful you are. Not because you say so…. But because He does.
I was reading Proverbs 31, and I wanted to go more in depth with the passage. So, I began to read the cliff notes. They made a very good point. One thing that is so amazing about Proverbs 31 is how the author portrays an amazing woman, wife and mother. Nowhere in the passage does it say anything about her outward beauty. But what it does say is this:
“She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all. Charm is deceptive, and BEAUTY IS FLEETING; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised” (Proverbs 31:25-31 emphasis added).
