Out first Sunday in Colombia I came face to face with the enemy in the form of a four year old girl.
My team and I had already been to church, had lunch, walked our mile hike home and were sitting on the couch visiting with the neighborhood children, our, now usual, routine upon returning home.
One of the girls poked her head in and took notice of what we were all wearing and apparently our faces.
Immediately she pointed to me and said “you didn’t put any makeup on”, which in fact I had put eyeshadow and mascara on that morning.
A description of my feelings in the moment are difficult but here it goes…..
I felt insulted.
Then came laughter as I realized I did have makeup on my face.
Then came the realization that this is a culture based on appearances, everyone always looks their best.
Then the Lord showed me how quickly I let the enemy change God’s truth about me.
This little girl was speaking what she knew to be true.
I wasn’t wearing makeup.
And in her culture all the adult women wear makeup to church.
Just because she couldn’t see it didn’t change whether God loved me or not.
It was simply an observation of my outward appearance, which for me, I have always struggled with loving myself and my natural appearance.
Appearance is one way we mask our true self. We put on a false self that we want others to see when our true identity is so much more beautiful. God made us all different for a reason and those differences are what make us unique, it’s what makes us beautiful to Him.
He didn’t give us qualities to hide because the world says they are not good enough. No, the natural beauty and qualities He gave us are what He loves about us and we should too. I know that’s easier said than done, trust me its been my burden.
But the freedom of the Lord is so much better than that burden. On this journey, I have learned to nail that burden to the cross because really Jesus died for my burdens 2000 years ago.
I am not going to be a slave to appearances. I trust that my creator made me beautiful in my own unique way.
He says so.
He says I am loved, valued, and worthy.
He died so I might live, He did not die for me to live a life based on what others think of me.
He calls me his beloved.
So when I am asked,”don’t you want to look your best when you go on a date with God?”
My response is “Yes, but I dont want to just go on a date. I want to live everyday walking with Him.”
When you commit your life to Jesus he doesn’t just want a date once a week.
He wants the messy.
The ugly.
The good and the bad.
He’s seen you at your worst and at your best.
He walks with you everyday.
Knowing he accepts me the way I am has freed me from the chains I carried far to long.
I do not have to be all put together everyday.
I can lay aside my obsession to care way to much about how others see me.
I can walk down the street without makeup and still trust that my creator loves me……..
AND THAT IS ALL I NEED.
So I challenge you to look at the area/areas of your life that are lead by how others veiw you.
How can Abba help you break those chains?
