Mascara and Facades

How many times have you found yourself in a situation or relationship that is less than ideal? Ever made any alliances you knew probably weren’t the best in the life choices department? I have certainly fallen prey to these things and I can think of many others who have as well. Let’s think the nation of Israel as a whole…

 

Jeremiah is known as the weeping prophet. And do you know who he wept for? His generation. His people.They had grown familiar with the Infinite and they lost their healthy respect for Him. In chapter 4, God warns Jeremiah of the coming disaster because of all they have done. They have trusted foreign nations and gods for their prosperity and safety. But those people who were so quick to welcome them into their company were just as quick to turn their backs on them and leave them compromised and desolate. They gave up their closeness to God for the company and pleasures of these foreign nations, but when it came down to it, their “trust” had all been a lie. In verse 30, the weeping prophet totally calls out the fakeness he sees in his people.

 

“What are you doing, you who have been plundered? Why do you dress up in beautiful clothing and put on gold jewelry? Why do you brighten your eyes with mascara? Your primping will do you no good! The allies who were your lovers despise you and seek to kill you. I hear a cry, like that of a woman in labor, the groans of a woman giving birth to her first child. It is beautiful Jerusalem gasping for breath and crying out, ‘Help! I’m being murdered!’ “

 

Ouch. We would hate so much to admit that we were wrong that we continue to play dress-up and put a band-aid on a gaping hole. Our pride is the culprit most likely to get in the way of our healing.

 

Sin is so appealing sometimes. The world tells us it’s going to be so fun and and that loving God is just a bunch of rules and legalism. Why would the message of Christ be called “The Good News” if it’s just a bunch of gloom and doom?

Psalm 19:7-8 says “The instructions of the Lord are perfect, reviving the soul. The decrees of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. he commandments of the Lord are right, bringing JOY to the heart. The commands of the Lord are clear, giving insight for living.”

 

For those who have been living in darkness, the light of Christ IS hope. It often seems that we who have been blessed enough to grow up in Christian homes have, like Israel, become too familiar with the Infinite. We have rejected His love for lovers that turn their back on us. Then we go around dressed in our best facades. We know the right things to say and we know which mascara to buy. But God isn’t fooled. He knows the condition of our hearts. And though the ones we left Him for have left us to die, He is still ready and willing to welcome us back if only we will turn back to him and leave our games behind.

 

If you’re walking around with your Lash Blast mascara caked on, I pray that you reach for that make-up remover and learn to be real with the One who already loves you and will never leave you feeling empty. He is the source of TRUE love and His ways are in your best interest. It’s not about the rules, it’s about the relationship. But when you love someone, you desire to honor them and you trust them enough to believe their heart for you is good.

 

Check out Jimmy Needham’s song called “Dearly Loved”. It totally goes along with this thought! Here are the lyrics.

 

“Please lay down your arrows
For they’re sure to pierce the skin
And water from a broken well
Will make you thirst again
When all things you’ve acquired
Are tested by the flames
And you can see them melting
Then will you call his name

It’s worth it brothers
It’s worth it friends
To know your maker
To lose your sin
Did you know that you are dearly loved

To the slaughters you are being led
Being told that it’s a party
That this God is in your head
And every single lie
Sounds just like the greatest truth
But the one truth you’re not hearing
Is that he died for you

No greater joy
No greater peace
No greater love than this

It’s worth it brothers
It’s worth it friends
To know your maker
To lose your sin
Did you know that you are dearly loved”