Spiritual Makeup

I have a hard time putting on eye makeup. When I’m done I sometimes look like a raccoon or something. I have very light eyelashes and eyebrows so if I don’t put something on them I look like I am half asleep. I have tried a million different things when it comes to eye makeup, but I guess it’s my technique that needs tweaking. I use eyeliner to highlight my eyes, but I don’t have a steady hand. I usually end up drawing lines all over my face. I’ve also tried all diff erent colors, but being a redhead makes finding the right color a bit challenging.

Recently I went to a nail shop to have a pedicure and a manicure. The lady doing my nails suggested I needed to have my eyebrows and my chin waxed. I agreed, but I was a bit wary of the whole procedure because my blonde eye-brows would really be invisible. When it came time to apply the wax I have to admit I was a bit nervous. Somehow, putting hot wax on your face and then ripping out the hair did not seem like a fun experience. Since the hair on my face is blonde I never worried too much about waxing, but I decided it would be a good idea to have it done.

The hot wax wasn’t as bad as I expected it to be. It was actually kind of nice, but then came the actual ripping of the hair. The petite Asian

woman tried to reassure me it wasn’t going to hurt, but still I began to tense up and grasp the arms of my chair tightly. She placed the two pads on my eyebrows and pushed down hard. Then, RIP! I yelled out like a dog being kicked with a boot. “Yow!” I screamed. Everyone in the shop looked in my direction. The woman laughed at me and then tried to calm me for the next round. She placed the hot wax on my chin and then, RIP! I yelled out again and squirmed in my chair. I was definitely their entertainment for the day.

After she was done my face felt like it was on fi re. It was red and felt like it was burning, but there was no more hair. My eyebrows were thin, but at least they had a shape now. I guess it was worth the torture. Only a woman would put herself through such agony to look good.

Wouldn’t it be great if we paid as much attention to our inner beauty as we do to our outer beauty? We curl our hair, put on makeup, have

our eyebrows shaped, do our nails, and paint our lips, but we ignore our inner beauty. We are much more concerned about what others see on the outside. We also put quite a bit of emphasis on the appearance of others as well, quickly judging people by their appearance.

I Peter 3:3-4 says, “What matters is not your outer appearance—the styling of your hair, the jewelry you wear, the cut of your clothes—but your inner disposition. Cultivate inner beauty, the gentle gracious kind that God delights in.” (The Message) 

Don’t get me wrong. There’s nothing wrong with fussing over our appearance. We should strive for excellence in every area of our lives, including our appearance, but God wants us to focus more on our inner beauty. If we look beautiful on the outside, but we have ugly dispositions, which one will have a greater impact on others? We may spend a great deal of time on our hair, our makeup and our clothes, but very little on the spiritual side of our lives. We neglect to build up our inner beauty until our Christian walk appears to be plain and unattractive to others.

The next time you go in for an eyebrow wax, ask yourself when was the last time you allowed God to strip away some of the layers of dirt and dust from your inner beauty. Maybe it’s time to take inventory of what you have piled on your plate. Let Christ shine through in your life, both inside and outside. Now that’s what I call attractive.