Pretty Is as Pretty Does
Okay, ready to take my picture. My daughter’s laptop has a cool camera feature and I get to see the photo before it’s taken. That’s a good thing, right? What is up with my hair? I say out loud to no one in particular. “You look nice, Mommy,” my daughter pipes up. While my son kindly suggests, “Just smooth your hair down on top.” I snap. “My hair doesn’t just smooth down!” Is it the lighting, the camera, or me? I wonder. I know I put makeup on this morning, but there’s no trace of it doing any good right now. Tomorrow is my birthday and until this moment, I was looking forward to it.
I don’t often have meltdowns. But I can feel a lump rising in my chest and heading toward my throat and eyes. I blink and squeeze my face tight, resisting the flow of tears. I open my eyes wide to try to remove some of the tiredness I see in them, and smile for the camera. Click. Picture done: I quickly move away from the reflection that has caused me so much grief in just a few minutes.
Who I am is so much more than the skin that covers my body. But for a few minutes this afternoon I forgot about who I am in Christ and could only see what is becoming of my flesh. I will, of course, do my hair and put on makeup tomorrow morning, perhaps a little more carefully as the memory of today looks back at me in the mirror.
What is more important to me? Do I wish I could erase the lines on my face? Am I willing to give up the years of struggling to fight for what is important, learning to love and live with my family and friends, and finally figuring out how to forgive myself and those who have caused me pain? This I know. I am not a Barbie doll with one perfect expression all the time. If I want a smooth and perfect face, I will have to give up on feeling, expressing, and living.
“What is the greatest law?” they asked Jesus, trying to trap Him. The Pharisees were ticked off because they had just heard that Jesus had won a debate ( a big public argument) with the Sadducees. The Pharisees and Sadducees were used to winning every argument especially when it came to The Law. They were the most educated, often the most cunning, and were hard taskmasters to the Israelites. They kept adding their own rules and ways of doing things thus making the worship of God and the keeping of the Law of Moses more burdensome than God intended. Jesus answered them, “To love the Lord your God with all of your heart, soul and mind. And the second one is like it,To love your neighbor as yourself.” (see Matthew 26:36).I can take care to present myself as an acceptable sight before my friends and colleagues, but what is in my heart is the most important part of who I am.
Proverbs 31:30 Amplified Bible (AMP)
Charm and grace are deceptive, and beauty is vain [because it is not lasting], but a woman who reverently and worshipfully fears the Lord, she shall be praised!
Written by Mary Wilkins
I was wishing that I had a pic of you to post with this write, Mary. To me you are the woman of whom you speak...lovely in visage and sweet in your heart. Thank you for this devotional.
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Corinne