I made a decision at the beginning of this month to not wear make up for the rest of the race.
I didn’t really pray about it.
I didn’t set out to discover spiritual truths.
I didn’t need to “find my beauty.”
I just decided one day to do it.
The obvious pros:
- Not spending time or money on it.
- Rubbing my eyes whenever I want.
- Not worrying about messing it up.
I learned during my student teaching that- “Every moment is a teachable moment.”
Even though I didn’t set out to learn or discover anything, learning usually happens along the way.
I can’t remember the last time I went this long without wearing make up.
I say this because, that’s how I recognize my face.
A face with make up is the Mary Middleton I know and visualize when I think about my appearance.
After a few days of not wearing any make up, as weird as this sounds, I got uncomfortable looking at myself.
I realized, “Wow, this is what I really look like.”
I wasn’t questioning my beauty.
I didn’t become insecure.
I just had to get used to this face.
This is my real face.
It’s an sad and awkward realization when it dawns on you that you don’t know your own face.
I’m not talking about make up any more.
We often times pile things on ourselves that become identifiers.
I’m a teacher.
I’m a daughter.
I’m a girlfriend.
I’m a student.
I’m a Christian.
I mean, they’re all fun to put on, they make us look more attractive, and they make us feel better about ourselves…
But what happens when all those things are stripped away?
When the make up is washed off?
Do I really know who I am?
Is my face recognizable… to me?
In this season of life, I’m in the process of rebuilding my identity as a person, woman, and a daughter of the Most High King.
This season, as I like to call it, is the “GET REAL” stage in life.
I want need to get real with my teammates.
I want need to get real with my friends and family back home.
I want need to get real with God.
I want need to get real with myself.
My teammate always quotes a song by Tenth Avenue North, “Beauty was never intended to be more than a reflection.”
Ain’t that the truth.
My beauty, my worth, my identity, is nothing more than a reflection of the Father’s.
“And we all with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” 2 Corinthians 3:18
