Beauty Is a Choice – Part 1 – Women on God's Mission

Yesterday I bought a bag of cotton balls and a jar of face cleanser. God has given me one face, and I am determined to keep it in the best condition possible. As I stood in the store aisle, wanting to try something new and feeling overwhelmed by the hundreds of options, I chuckled when I thought about my great Aunt Helen. She’s enjoying life with God now, but while still on this earth, even into her nineties, she had nary a wrinkle. The nursing home staff begged to know what face care regimen she subscribed to: turned out, it was whatever cold cream was on sale at the time! I’ve been told that at least three enthusiastic nurses proceeded to raid local drugstores, stocking up on Aunt Helen creams. Thanking God for my beautiful (inside and out) Aunt Helen, I finally chose what I hoped would be the best match for my pores, placed it in the cart next to the doubleroll toilet paper and plush Easter bunnies, and headed toward the check-out counter.

Then, I knew it was time. Time once again to pass by those Cover Girls we all love. Their glaring double-lashed eyes and puckered sultry lips mocked me with silent scorn: “What’s the use? You’ll never be as thin and gorgeous as I am!” Armed with God’s strength, and with the word “airbrushed” palpitating in my brain, I pushed on through the dark tunnel of comparison … there, at the light at the end of the tunnel, was a friendly normal-sized young woman waiting to take my money. Glancing back at the beauty queens, I thought, “They too will get old and fat,” as I smiled a comforted, yet pitying, grin. Focus on God, Sara … soak in HIS beauty.

Choose Your Consequences
Eons before Cinderella, Hollywood, and Barbie, our first mother gave in to her curiosity … What if I could be like God? (There weren’t any other women, yet, with which to compare.) Eve never dreamed the cost of that single juicy bite:

sagging, bagging and wrinkling
excruciating pain
raging emotional battles
sapped energy
unsatisfied desires
loneliness
broken marriages
tears of despair
a billion-dollar skin care industry
eating disorders
plastic surgery
miscarriages
abortions/murder
self-centered esteem confusion
diet programs and weight loss infomercials
separation from God
death for all

We could go on and on, but you get the idea of the extensive “un-makeover” Eve thrust upon the entire human race. No doubt, if it had been you or me talking to that slimy Devil of a serpent, we would’ve fallen, too. I believe that if Eve had known the extensive ramifications of her disobedience – not only impacting herself, but bringing misery to all of her children and grandchildren, she NEVER would’ve munched. Sadly, she didn’t listen to, nor trust, God’s warnings.

Praise God, there is good news and hope for all of Eve’s children! Because of Christ’s substitutionary atonement on the cross, God offers forgiveness – if we will only receive His free gift by faith – He will remove all of our ugly sin and replace it with His grace, clothing us in His beautiful righteousness. Our CHOICE to take on the beauty of Jesus also has consequences:

a relationship with God
contentment
forgiveness
godly confidence
assurance of eternal life
a spiritual battle and the equipment to fight victoriously
the chance to invest our lives in what truly matters
children who will learn about true beauty and lasting values
comfort in pain
joy amidst trials
God using our weak hands to assist the needy and lift up the fallen
wisdom to feed the weary with chocolate chip cookies as well as the Word of Life
unending beauty that reflects God’s beauty to all around us