Eyeliner, Hot Rollers and Spiritual Beauty: The Heart of a Makeup Junkie

Trust me - you don't want to see me without my makeup on.  And unless you're a member of my household or one of the unfortunate people driving past my yard when I'm scurrying to my vehicle in sweats and "morning hair," rushing to get my daughter to school, the likelihood of you having to bear witness to such a sight is very small.




I grew up in the South, near the "buckle" of the "Bible belt."  If you are unfamiliar with such places, you may not be able to understand such a deeply rooted makeup-love or be able to believe that when I was in third grade, my mom actually set my hair on hot rollers every morning before school.

Some things are just ingrained in a Southern girl.  Some things cannot be undone, no matter how many years a girl spends in stoic New England, succumbing to such unthinkable things as "winter boots" for half the year and buildings without central air for the other half.

There is a deeper message than all this cosmetics talk, though.  There is a matter of being "real."  I will never give up my eyeliner.  We'll establish that right now.  But one of the greatest ways God blesses me and speaks to me is through the friends I have who see me for who I really am and love me anyway.

It's important for us to have relationships that are transparent.  As women, wives, moms, so often we feel so much pressure to appear to have it all together, all the time... to look like we're doing just fine and don't need help.  One thing that God wants us to remember is that He uses people and relationships to do good work in our lives.  He wants us to be willing to be un-made-up in our inner self, so that we can receive help when it's needed and so we can receive truth spoken lovingly from a friend.

"Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised." Proverbs 31:30

I'm thinking today about the value of being authentic in my relationships.  It's such a great joy.  As we share our lives with our friends, we connect at a heart level.  When we can ask for prayer and receive it, when we can accept help with a meal when we're sick (which sometimes I don't do, even if I should, so I need to work on that, because I have lots of generous friends whose offers I sometimes deny!), when we can be ok with the house not looking perfect and still invite a friend in for coffee, that's when we're real.

It's the realness of my friends that inspires me.  I have women in my life who are so beautiful, inside and out.  They are women who speak glowingly of their husbands.  They are women who tell me the truth when I need to hear it.  They are women who keep confidences and pray faithfully.  They are women who are honest about their struggles.  They are women who send me Bible verses in my email when I need a little encouragement.  They are women who I ask for advice about parenting, or decorating or cooking. They are women who make me laugh till I have tears in my eyes.  

There is definitely something to be said for a good concealer (and a lot of coffee) when it comes to hiding dark circles caused by lack of sleep (caused by children....).  I will not venture far from home without my makeup. (And I promise to keep my morning-hair sightings limited to the school drop-off only.)  But I will be more intentional about showing my imperfections to my friends, not worrying so much about whether the house looks right before I have someone over, and about receiving help.

God doesn't mind if I like a few beauty products, but He wants me to be sure to invest even more in the lasting beauty of my spirit.  It's important to know how to truly define what is beautiful, and none of it can be found at the Chanel counter.  I'm thankful that He promises to help me develop my heart and my life in ways that are more pleasing in His sight and that He's surrounded me with such wonderful friends whose beauty shines into my life every day.

Source of true beauty!

"Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes.  Instead, 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."  1 Peter 3:3 & 4