It is time for another confession. I am a Christian woman who uses cosmetics. My Asian friends are scratching their heads wondering why that would be a big deal. The do not understand my conservative western church upbringing where wearing make-up put you in the Jezebel and Delilah category. Although, I would hasten to point out that my biblical namesake used cosmetics to her advantage and managed still to intervene and save her people. (See Esther 2:8-9) It all began when we lived for eight years in Mississippi. In that setting, a woman just did not go to work without putting her face on first.
Now, at my age, it has become a matter of alleviating the concern of others. The few individuals who have seen me makeup-less have remarked that I looked very tired. One even asked me if I was ill. Seriously. Therefore, for the good of humankind and the prevention of Yzma-esque reactions from my fellow human beings (living proof dinosaurs once roamed the earth. Look at those wrinkles! What is holding this woman together?)…I choose to indulge in some relatively harmless forms of image manipulation. Although, I will confess to feeling more than a little deflated when one of my beautiful young Chinese friends felt compelled to present me with a gift of anti-aging transforming eye cream, I did recover after a few hours of mourning my lost youth and skin resiliency. After all, it is pretty good stuff and more expensive than I would buy for myself.
The problem with the makeup prone mindset results if allow we that philosophy to infect us spiritually. If I allow the opinions of others to determine my worth based on the youthfulness, or not, of my face; rather than on the ability of God to use me even in my more mature state.
Take Anna for instance. Luke 2:35-37 36 And there was a prophetess, Anna…She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin, 37 and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day.
At eighty-four, she still found a place to serve in the temple and more importantly, she was still watching for the Lord to come. 38 “38 And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.”
The other problem is that spiritually if we are never “real”, always putting on a face, we are never willing to be vulnerable and confess our faults, hurts, failures to one another so that others can pray for our healing. (James 5:16) If we never allow others to see us suffering, we miss the support of those around us and deny them the ability to be the hands of Christ to us. (Romans 12:15)
The chief concern would be the idea of presenting a face to God, as if He could not see beyond my pretense of togetherness into the quivering mess of insecurities inside. Hebrews 14:13 says it rather bluntly, “13 And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” No amount of make-up will ever hide who I truly am from God.
How much better it is to come before him openly, freely, hiding nothing, and as this scripture states, come unveiled.
2 Corinthians 3:17-18 (ESV)
17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.
There is only one way to become more beautiful in an aging body; that is to behold His glory and be transformed into His image. Nothing is more beautiful than looking like Jesus.