MakeUp or Fake-Up?

      Dear LAYNE, am I really, seriously beautiful!?

       I was standing in the bathroom yesterday afternoon, getting frustrated at the fact that my eyeliner looked so uneven under my eyes. I had awakened for class earlier that day and had literally just thrown on clothes, brushed my teeth, brushed my hair, put my glasses on, and headed out the door to make it to Advanced Grammar on time. This time, as I stood in the mirror, all I could think about was the fact that I wanted to look good. I wanted to look presentable and feel beautiful. But why did I want to look perfect so much to the point of doing and redoing my eyeliner in fear of looking lopsided or inexperienced with makeup?

       The more I thought about it, the more I considered myself to be crazy. Why did I feel the need to have that makeup on? Who was I really trying to look good for? My boyfriend of almost four years is already captivated by me, loving me with my hair up, my hair down, my makeup on, my makeup off, my contacts in, my glasses on. So why was I freaking out over some silly eyeliner that I could have just walked away without? 

       Then it hit me: There is a difference between putting on a fake face in order to hide yourself away and putting on makeup to simply enhance what you already love about yourself! I am beautiful with or without foundation, blush, eyeliner, eye-shadow, and mascara, and I don't need to change anything about myself for anyone else. Why? Because the Lord, the Lover of my soul, the Creator of the universe loves me for who I NATURALLY am. How do I know this? Because He has told me so! Jeremiah 1:5 tells me that the Lord knew me before I was even in my mother's womb! He set me apart and made me unique before I was even born into this world! Not only that, but Psalm 139:14 says, "I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well" (NIV). Now I know what you are thinking. "Wait, what? God actually took the time to think about me and make me special? He made me wonderful? Are you sure?" The answer to all of those questions is YES!

       There is absolutely no reason to try and completely re-arrange and reform what the Potter has already created! Isaiah 64:8 tells us that He is the Potter, and we are His clay. He formed us and made us just like he wanted us to be. Going and trying to change something that He is so proud of creating would be one of the craziest and honestly silliest things I could possibly do. Genesis 1:27 reminds us that when God, as the Potter, formed us, He made us in His very own image. And guess what? God's image is PERFECT. Through Him, we are perfectly made, face and all. So next time you feel the need to beautify yourself to go out for the day or for the night, ask yourself, "Am I using makeup to simply enhance the beauty that I already know is there underneath it, or am I simply undergoing a fake-up to try and be perfect by myself and impress those who might not even realize Whose image I am really made in?" I pray that you take a second glance in the mirror, notice how amazingly breathtaking you truly are, and answer your own question with: "I know my true beauty, and today, I choose makeup and not a fake-up!"

(All photos are NOT mine and may be subject to copyright.)