Rainbow Gift

Since beauty comes from God and He has a vast imagination, He's given us beautiful things, like little love notes that point back to the giver's heart (and that is key), all over the place.

I remember a time not too long ago when I was driving home from a little errand running and I took my favorite back road home. I was having a hard day, but it occurred to me suddenly that the day was lovely and I was missing it because I was too focused on my own problems, thus limiting my imagination from looking up at the sky. When I looked up, hanging in the sky was a beautiful sundog, a glowing rainbow in the mist of the clouds. It was brilliant and gorgeous...and all mine.

At first I reveled in it, grateful for God's surprise touch of beauty for the few who lift their eyes heavenward. Then I felt guilty for not sharing it with Mama, but in truth I didn't have time. I was close to home, but by the time I would have gotten home and gotten Mom up, it would have faded and she wouldn't get to see it anyway.

So I pulled over and just enjoyed the present and the Giver. It was a reminder that the world is full of God's beauty, even when there aren't rainbows dancing in the sky, and I had let my eyes close to it. All beauty comes from God and He gives it abundantly, sharing it with any who will look at His splendor.

Have you had a time like this? Maybe a rough, boring, or even restful day that was missing something, and God showed you a glimpse of His beautiful creation? As creative as He is, I imagine it could have looked more than a thousand different ways. What's your story?
 

Makeup

Do you like makeup? I didn't always, but I do now. I used to misunderstand it. I only saw the bad aspects (women wear it to hide their natural faces, it's a mask to create beauty instead of reveal beauty, it emphasizes that women aren't beautiful without it...). As much as I wanted to be pretty, I refused to buy into the hype to a negative extreme.

I wasn't allowed to use makeup until I was at least thirteen years old. By that time, I had come to understand that makeup wasn't what made a girl pretty. And, honestly, as it was brand new territory, I was satisfied enough with my face (more on that another time), and I didn't want to work hard to learn the techniques, I didn't start to actually use makeup until late into my teens.

Sure, I'd play with it from time to time, but it wasn't until I got to college (and, I admit, several years into college) that I would use even mascara on a regular basis.

See, my problem is perhaps the opposite of many, and it's also two-sided.

As I understood it, many girls and women wear makeup in order to be seen as beautiful. They put a lot of work into it because without it they don't think their faces are pleasant to look at. With me, I saw a couple things about my face that I liked (I've always liked my eye color) but I didn't understand that, when used well, makeup can be a means of enhancing one's existing beauty. I had a cynical view that it was a mask slapped on in order to have a facade of what's theoretically pretty, as dictated by cosmetic makers and Hollywood's bottom line. I understood the idea perpetuated about makeup to be "you're only beautiful if you wear our products and look like a magazine cover girl." Though I didn't think myself particularly pretty, I refused to believe the message that I needed makeup in order to be attractive or worthy.

So, side one of my problem, I wouldn't believe "makeup = pretty face" (and conversely wouldn't believe "no makeup = not pretty"), which led to an avoidance of the product instead of thinking it through.

The second part of my makeup issues (aside from sheer laziness and lack of skill applying it) involved, once again, my fear to be perceived as beautiful. There is power in beauty, and not showing it is safer both for myself and for those around me. It took years of friendship to a girl who liked to play with makeup for fun and a couple of conversations on the topic for my thinking to shift to a healthier state. Yes, sometimes it can be fun to go over-the-top with makeup and play with color (something I still have a hard time actually doing...I'm not very bold). But my friend understood that makeup didn't have to be a mask, and could highlight the natural beauty (akin, if you will, to a dress style that flatters your body type).

So, side two of my problem, while makeup can reveal beauty, I would rather be seen as less pretty.

I still don't wear makeup all the time. But now I like to use it a little more to show off my blue eyes by making my eyelashes stand out more. Or I can highlight my cheekbones (which I now like) and happy flush with a touch of added color (have you found an inexpensive blush that doesn't have sparkles in it?). My lips...well, I think I was born with red lips or something. I'm still pretty happy with just chapstick or a hydrating gloss or something like that. I don't usually seek out added color on my lips (unless I'd like them to be more pink than red, in which case, I usually can't get that anyway, so yeah) because then I'd look clownish.

But basically, once again because of my growing understanding of how God made me and who He made me to be, I am okay with finding a balance between makeup and no makeup, and I'm realizing that with or without it, I am pretty. It just depends on how I feel like expressing my best (or good) (like different styles of clothing, no?). I can look my best with makeup. I can also look my best without it.

After all, if I reflect the beautiful Most High, how can I go wrong as long as I don't seek to mar His image? (I need to not fear what He has given me. I'm always beautiful, whether I believe it or not, because that's how my Father made me.)

Makeup doesn't make a woman's beauty, but it's okay if she wants to enjoy it as a gift from God to His daughters.

Have you had difficulties with motivations for wearing or avoiding makeup? Where has your path taken you so far? Do you think you need makeup in order to be beautiful?

Compliments

So, I would still rather hide than write a post today. I guess I'm learning as I write by forcing myself to practice what I know. I just wish I knew what would be best for you to hear right now. As that is outside of my realm of control, you (and I) are stuck with my random thought of the day.

Can you take a compliment? I'm not often very good at it. I'm not even sure why, because sometimes I can agree with the kind thought expressed. I like to play guitar because I like the way it feels and the way it sounds. When someone tells me I played nicely, I can maybe say thanks. When I cook food, I hope to enjoy it as much as I hope others do, so when I'm told it's tasty, I can say I'm glad.

But when I'm told I'm pretty or "elegant" or something along those lines, there is something in me that I suppose becomes embarrassed. Maybe it's because I have done nothing to make myself "elegant" (adding makeup, while it can be done well, does not count in my mind toward this, especially when I haven't put on makeup and I still hear the compliment).

Strangely, sometimes I can agree that I look nice, so it's easier to accept notice of it. But when I don't think I look nice in that moment, everything's out the window and I have a hard time accepting that someone else thinks I look good. Why is this? I like to hear nice things about myself, but I don't always know how to believe them. Have you ever faced this conundrum? It's only been recently, since I've been understanding and accepting that God sees me as beautiful (all the time), that I can think I'm pretty more regularly or accept compliments from others more often.

My outward appearance hasn't changed, but my heart toward God and my understanding of His viewpoint has.