A month that is notorious for a number of things. Most people probably think about..
Thanksgiving
family
"black friday"
spending money
heavy coats & boots
the inevitable coming of winter
hunting
No-shave November
Movember
Last year for the first time I participated in 'No make-up November' and it was honestly one of the greatest months of the year for me because of the areas where I grew closer to the Lord.
In a society that is so driven by appearance and beauty it is easy to conform to the pattern of thinking, 'I want to be as beautiful as I can be!' Not that that is necessarily a terrible thought to have, but as a woman I feel the pressure to 'doll up' when I go to work, or to do my hair (even if it is greasy and messy), or to keep up with the latest fashions. All this is influenced by the media, status quo, and men.
Last year doing No make-up November challenged me to resist trying to fit in with what society tells me and to REST in what my identity already is, an adorned beautiful daughter of the King.
1 Peter 3:3-4 says,
"Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious."
1 Timothy 2:9-10 says,
"likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, but with what is proper for women who profess godliness—with good works."Psalm 139:13-17 says,
"For you formed my inward parts;
you knitted me together in my mother's womb.
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
my soul knows it very well.
My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me,
when as yet there was none of them.
How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!"
So although November has already started, it is only day 4, and I would challenge and/or encourage any woman to consider where you find your identity and if wearing no make-up seems out of the ordinary then try stepping out for a day, a week, or the rest of the month to rest in your true identity! 🙂
