As much as I'd like to think I am most attractive and useful to God when my life feels "easy-breezy-beautiful", the truth is found in just the opposite. Being a "Cover Girl" for the world to see "made-up" perfection only covers up the power of God in my messy life. Life happens, and many times it's just plain ugly. The seasons of my life when struggle outweighs security are the seasons when I am closest to God and most sensitive to the burden of others. When I was a tired and lonely mama buried in dishes and diapers, the Lord guided me to home-sales where I found a world of beautiful women to connect with. When my world crumbled with family betrayal, the Lord led me to Community Bible Study where I soaked up His healing Word and was given a world of women to love on me. When my marriage barely resembled the "I Do's" made at the altar, the Lord gave me hope by opening my eyes to a world of hurting marriages with wounds that cut to the soul like mine. Transparency can expose our flaws to judgement, but more often it removes the barrier keeping us from being real. Judgement is often perceived anyway. We judge ourselves in our minds long before others utter a single judgement. We see a lack of beauty in the mirror and assume others see the same image. So when life gets lonely, messy, and ugly, putting on your "make-up" and being a "Cover Girl" isn't the solution. A life plastered with "cover-up" isn't going to allow Jesus to shine. Covering our "blemishes" eliminates God's ability to use us in the lives of others with hurts just like ours. We're never the only ones with scars.
"Praise be to God....the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows." ~2 Corinthians 1:3-5
Life on planet earth is hard. Not the "easy-breezy-beautiful" that the world promises it's products will deliver. When (not if) the trials come and our lives are anything but beautiful, the comfort and deliverance we will receive from the Lord is meant to be passed on. Which requires transparency. *Big breath in* Leave your "make-up" in the drawer and share your real story. *Big breath out* Be vulnerable and transparent so the power of God in your mess can be seen and can testify to our humanness that only He can redeem us from. The world's "Cover Girl" encourages us to "paint" ourselves as flawless and beautiful. When in reality, the saving grace of Jesus makes the "natural blemishes" we all bare in this life beautiful because our faces shine with the glory of God!
So, does this mean you can now expect to see me without "make-up" the next time we bump into each other at a store or schedule a lunch date at Panera? Nope. This earthly, aging face still needs all the help it can get from "Cover Girl" products. :) And I'll probably also be sporting a fun skirt and cute shoes! ;) However, I'd be glad to share my hurts and fears with you and how the Lord is so faithfully walking me through each ugly one. (And if you mention hormones, we'll be all afternoon chatting!) Something tells me we have at least one common struggle in our stories and God has a special reason for crossing our paths. Share your beautiful, grace-filled, blemished story and watch God use you! Minister to the "feeling-less-than-beautiful" by letting them know "I'm a 'covered-up girl' too"! God's "Cover Girl" doesn't wear make-up so His Light can SHINE! She's BEAUTIFUL!
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