Do You Need a Makeover?

There is an old street near our library, adjacent to the town square, that still has its original bricks. They must have been solid and attractive years ago, but these days the gigantic rivulets, careening potholes, and jagged edges only seem to be capable of rattling my brain and nerves.  I almost feel guilty taking an alternate route, because I absolutely appreciate the idea of treasuring our past and keeping history alive.  However, there comes a time when what was useful no longer is useful.  Improvements need to be made. 

As I was riding the waves on the old brick road last night, an image came into my mind of a woman beyond her teenage years, trying to look and act as if she still is a teenager.  Have you seen her? Instead of convincing us she is young, we find ourselves feeling a little bit embarrassed for her. The young look used to be quaint, but it doesn't work for her anymore.

What Is Beautiful?

Some of the most beautiful women I know are far beyond "29 and holding"! They choose cheerful, modest clothing; avoiding too tight, too short, too low, unnatural make-up, and pigtails.  Their communication is filled with grace, humor, dignity and humility.  They keep a style that fits their personality and is becoming to them, somehow reaching a balance of drawing people to them without bringing too much attention to self.  If I could put it in a nutshell . . .

•  They are confident in God's love for them.


•  They are secure in God's grace which supercedes their sin.


•  They are in love with God more than anything or anyone else.


•  They love others with Christ's love.

They aren't perfect.  Even mature women struggle with "the uglies" - physical, emotional, and spiritual battles which affect their inner and outer beauty.  The difference is that they have learned to focus on Christ, the One whose opinion really matters.

^"When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love." I Corinthians 13:11, 13

God's Plan For Our Beauty

God is patiently calling us, drawing us, loving us.  He wants us to receive His free gift of salvation.  He then chips away at the ugly sin in our lives, uncovering the masterpiece He's had in mind all along.  If we are willing, He will make us more useful and more beautiful for Him.



When I look at a picture of myself from twenty-five years ago, I see a shy teenage girl, wearing a pastel plaid blouse and a string of white beads.  "Who is that?"  It seems like a lifetime ago.  Do you think I would look silly wearing the same outfit and acting like a fifteen-year-old at age thirty-nine?  Yes, of course.



Yet, spiritually speaking, when my spiritual birthday comes around every April (see My Testimony to find out more), I am humbled and ashamed that I am not more mature in my faith.  My heart cries out, God help me not to be carried away by every emotion and circumstance - help me be strong and mature in who You are, thus who I am in Your eyes.


What about you?  Are you "acting your age" physically, emotionally, and spiritually? 



1.  Physically . . .  Do you need to make a trip to donate old clothes, calling in a friend with the "dressing gene" to help you build a new wardrobe?  Shopping for bargains takes practice.  And sometimes you need to spend a little more money to invest in an outfit that becomes you.  We don't need a closet full!  We just need a few outfits that work well.



2.  Emotionally . . .  Are you holding onto habits that are pulling you down, keeping you from being the best you can be for God?  Are there some hurts you need to forgive and fears to need to forsake?  God is waiting to help you.



3.  Spiritually . . .  Compared to one year ago, are you more like Christ?  Are you more patient?  Are you less critical of others?  Do you run to people or God first?  Are you encouraging the faith of those around you, even if they are at a different place of growth than you? 



These are tough questions, but there is no need to fret.  Spirituality isn't some grand robe of accomplishment you earn when you reach certain level of faith - it is the direction you are going.  Are you going toward God or away from Him?


I would like to look better, to be sure.  But, if I were offered a free makeover, I would worry that the person "remaking" me would turn me into someone who doesn't reflect my personality and preferences. I might hate my new look, be confused about my identity, not be able to maintain the new regimen, or get a big head about my cuteness! 



While I continue to try to keep my outward appearance fresh and current, I usually choose to invest more energy in getting to know my Creator.  He specializes in spiritual makeovers.  And His sense of style is perfect.

"Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised." Proverbs 31:30

 

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I Like Salt

Do you have a sweet tooth or a salty one?  I am blessed with both.  But, if I had to choose between a restaurant appetizer or dessert ... I'd probably pick cheesy fries over cheesecake. 



This past week, salt took on an entirely new dimension for me.  My sister Sharon highly recommends sea salt and vinegar potato chips dipped in Trader Joe's salmon pate'.  Intense!  It was a pretty good mix, once I got used to the strong punch.  When I told Sharon about my startled reaction to her delicacy she laughed, using her waving arms to demonstrate, she said "I can feel the spray of the salty sea air blowing on my face when I eat those chips!" 



The Power of Salt

Our assorted palettes are fascinating. The blandest foods I've ever eaten were in Sweden and England.  When I visited Sweden, I was surprised to find that at most hamburger stands mashed potatoes are a popular option!  Swedish people typically like more bland foods: I am not a typical Svenska flicka (Swedish girl - my Mom is 100% Swedish).  If my taste buds are any indication, I must be a classic combination of Greek, Chinese, Japanese, Italian, Indian, and Mexican.



But, some flavors are too much for me.  For three years I lived in an apartment above a nice Vietnamese family.  For months the fragrance of their spices around dinner time gave me a headache and made me feel sick to my stomach; I could only imagine how their food tasted.  An Indonesian friend told me that his people tend to love spicy foods and that most Indonesian women like their food even hotter than what the men can handle, smiling as sweat pours off their face at the table.  My apologies if you are the exception: I'm sure there are varied taste buds in every culture.



What Flavor Am I?

Jesus said to His followers, 

“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men." Matthew 5:13

          In God's eyes, am I salty? 



                   And if I am salty, am I 100% salty? 



                          And if I am not 100% salty, am I still salty? 



Clearly, salt can lose its flavor. If it is contaminated with dirt or dust, it is no longer of value.   The contamination of sin in my life diminishes the saltiness God calls for in me.  My saltiness (Christlikeness) should cause those around me to feel as though they've eaten a tasty, savory snack when they are with me, causing them to thirst for Living Water.  Jesus is the only One Who can fill our deepest cravings and quench our thirsty souls.



Everything we eat (with the possible exception of plain rice cakes) has a flavor.  And most every food leaves an aftertaste. Compare how you would feel after tasting cod liver oil versus your favorite dessert: strawberry shortcake.  Quite different, right?!  And which one do you prefer?  That's a silly question!

What kind of taste do you leave in people's mouths after they spend time with you? 

Worth Your Weight In Salt

For a moment, imagine spending a day with Lot's wife.  I can't say that she's on my "Top One Hundred Women I'd Like To Meet" list.  She looked for satisfaction in earthly things, and was no doubt left wanting.  She loved her earthly possessions more than God - walking by sight instead of faith.  As a result of Mrs. Lot's poor choices, she became too salty, or salt of the wrong kind: frozen in time as a pillar of salt, alone and of use to nobody, including herself, herself and God.



We can become pure delightful saltiness by allowing God to refine us into 100% pure godly salt!  And our saltiness shouldn't attract people to us ... rather to Christ IN us. The savory flavor of Christ should be tasted in our:



1.   Words

"[Let] your speech always [be] with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one." Colossians 4:6



2.   Attitude

"Have salt in yourselves, and have peace with one another.” Mark 9:50b



3.  Influence

"Then he went out to the source of the water, and cast in the salt there, and said, 'Thus says the LORD: 'I have healed this water; from it there shall be no more death or barrenness.' " 2 Kings 2:21



The next time we munch a lip-smacking snack, let's remember to thank God for the opportunity we have to be salt for Him!

Pretzel image courtesy of Microsoft Office Free Images Online.

Beauty is a Choice - Part 2

George Macdonald said, 'If you knew what God knows about death you would clap your listless hands', but instead I find old people in North America just buying this whole youth obsession. I think growing older is a wonderful privilege. I want to learn to glorify God in every stage of my life.

                                                                                   - Elizabeth Elliot



Tim often tells me “I have a hole in my heart the shape of your figure.” To Tim, I am beautiful.  But, when I look in the mirror, I see every flaw. It is so easy for me to get sucked into a worldly view of beauty without even realizing it.

It was smooth sailing until age 27. All of a sudden, this skinny kid couldn’t eat as much as before. During our engagement I meticulously monitored every bite. After the wedding, like most people, I relaxed and gained some weight. Now, after five pregnancies (two live births and three miscarriages) I have experienced first-hand the battle of the bulge and feel my age creeping up on me. Sometimes I detect jealousy in my heart when I observe younger women, full of youth and vitality. This year I’ve enjoyed going to the gym, and I’m happy to report that I’ve seen some of that energy return. Strength training is a beauty tip I learned from the Virtuous Woman herself … “She girds herself with strength, and strengthens her arms.” Proverbs 31:17

While God is working to make me someone truly beautiful, from the inside out, for His glory (not mine), He has given me wonderful examples of beauty that touch me to the depths of my soul. 

Please let me introduce to you my dear friend Rayetta. Rayetta is known for being a vibrant, successful Mary Kay representative (she earned a pink car!), a committed Christian, a concerned and involved citizen, always dressed to the hilt with perfect accessories, so gorgeous that anyone would take a second glance at her. But, her outward beauty would mean nothing without her inner beauty shining through: her posture reflects confidence in God, while her radiant smile and bubbly laughter springs up like a shimmering fountain, spilling Jesus onto everyone she meets. Her loving arms and open heart have welcomed hundreds of exchange students from around the world into her home. She not only believes in God, she LIVES with Him and for Him. She is one of the most beautiful women I’ve ever met.

Last night, however, physically speaking, the woman I saw was a shadow of the Rayetta I once knew. You see, my 65-year-old friend was recently told by her doctors that her earthly life will end in a matter of days, weeks or just a couple months. After an on-off fight which began years ago with breast cancer, she now has tumors over-taking her brain. We pray for healing, but we are prepared to let her go to be with God.



My dear friend Rayetta

The picture above is worth a thousand words ... love shines through her cloudy eyes … she looks peaceful under her pretty scarf … her still adorable, warm quivering smile speaks, “I’m so glad to be here with you!” Every word is thankful, others-focused. Rayetta’s unquenchable faith in God and assurance of Heaven radiates from her words of praise and thanks to God, for loving friends and a Savior who took her sins upon Himself at the cross. Rayetta is more beautiful than ever!

So, go ahead – keep buying face creams, foundation, mascara and modest lovely clothes that compliment your smile. Both Aunt Helen (see Beauty Is a Choice - Part 1) and Rayetta would encourage us to look our best, as earthly representatives of Christ. But, invest MORE of your time and energy in eternal beauty:

• Bathe yourself in the blood of Jesus


• Beautify your eyes by digging into the Word of God


• Groom your soul by praying without ceasing


• Flush out bitterness and apply the balm of forgiveness


• Curl your smile to uplift those around you


• Shield your eyes from the glare of comparison


• Wear plenty of Son-screen to protect you from the harmful rays of Satan's lies


• Before taking medication, focus on meditation and memorization of God's precious Word


• Exercise grace to edify, speak the truth in love, pointing others to God


• Wear the delicate fragrance of a meek (boldness under control) and quiet spirit


• Thank God for your struggle with weight and how it drives you to depend on Him more


• During your pedicure thank God for your feet and ask Him how He can use them to take you places to minister in His name.

True beauty is Christlikeness.  Look in the Bible to find the clearest mirror of all.  Through it God will reveal what you need to change in your life.  He wants to help you become less focused on self and more dependent on Him.  The more you know and appreciate God, the more beautiful you will become.

"But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.  For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror;  for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was." James 1:22-24

I look forward to my heavenly glorified body!  It will be so restful not to have to worry about calories and cellulite.  But, I am absolutely certain that when I am in the presence of my beautiful Savior, I will be in awe of Him - nothing else will matter.

"Give unto the Lord the glory due to His name; Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness." Psalm 29:2

Beauty Is a Choice - Part 1

Yesterday I bought a bag of cotton balls and a jar of face cleanser.  God has given me one face, and I am determined to keep it in the best condition possible.  As I stood in the store aisle, wanting to try something new and feeling overwhelmed by the hundreds of options, I chuckled when I thought about my great Aunt Helen.  She’s enjoying life with God now, but while still on this earth, even into her nineties, she had nary a wrinkle.  The nursing home staff begged to know what face care regimen she subscribed to:  turned out, it was whatever cold cream was on sale at the time!  I’ve been told that at least three enthusiastic nurses proceeded to raid local drugstores, stocking up on Aunt Helen creams.  Thanking God for my beautiful (inside and out) Aunt Helen, I finally chose what I hoped would be the best match for my pores, placed it in the cart next to the double roll toilet paper and plush Easter bunnies, and headed toward the check-out counter.



Then, I knew it was time.  Time once again to pass by those Cover Girls we all love.  Their glaring double-lashed eyes and puckered sultry lips mocked me with silent scorn: “What’s the use? You’ll never be as thin and gorgeous as I am!”  Armed with God’s strength, and with the word “airbrushed” palpitating in my brain, I pushed on through the dark tunnel of comparison …  there, at the light at the end of the tunnel, was a friendly normal-sized young woman waiting to take my money.  Glancing back at the beauty queens, I thought, “They too will get old and fat,” as I smiled a comforted, yet pitying, grin.  Focus on God, Sara ... soak in HIS beauty.



Choose Your Consequences

Eons before Cinderella, Hollywood, and Barbie, our first mother gave in to her curiosity … What if I could be like God? (There weren’t any other women, yet, with which to compare.)  Eve never dreamed the cost of that single juicy bite: 

• excruciating pain
  
  



• raging emotional battles 


• sagging, bagging and wrinkling 


• sapped energy 


• unsatisfied desires 


• loneliness 


• broken marriages 


• tears of despair 


• a billion-dollar skin care industry 


• eating disorders 


• plastic surgery 


• miscarriages 


• abortions/murder 


• self-centered esteem confusion 


• diet programs and weight loss infomercials


• separation from God


• death for all

We could go on and on, but you get the idea of the extensive “un-makeover” Eve thrust upon the entire human race.  No doubt, if it had been you or me talking to that slimy Devil of a serpent, we would’ve fallen, too.  I believe that if Eve had known the extensive ramifications of her disobedience – not only impacting herself, but bringing misery to all of her children and grandchildren, she NEVER would’ve munched.  Sadly, she didn’t listen to, nor trust, God’s warnings.



Praise God, there is good news and hope for all of Eve’s children!  Because of Christ’s substitutionary atonement on the cross, God offers forgiveness – if we will only receive His free gift by faith – He will remove all of our ugly sin and replace it with His grace, clothing us in His beautiful righteousness.  Our CHOICE to take on the beauty of Jesus also has consequences: 

• a relationship with God


• contentment


• forgiveness  


• godly confidence   


• assurance of eternal life 


• a spiritual battle and the equipment to fight victoriously 


• the chance to invest our lives in what truly matters 


• children who will learn about true beauty and lasting values 


• comfort in pain 


• joy amidst trials 


• God using our weak hands to assist the needy and lift up the fallen 


• wisdom to feed the weary with chocolate chip cookies as well as the Word of Life 


• unending beauty that reflects God’s beauty to all around us 

The consequences of choosing God’s gift of true beauty are of eternal benefit and priceless worth.

 

 

"Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised." Proverbs 31:30

Image courtesy of Microsoft free images.

How To Get Better ZZZzzzzs

Do you have trouble sleeping peacefully through the night like I do?  For me the cause can be a busy mind, not wanting to slow down (party time!), worries, or a physical ailment.  I know this problem can either wear and grind, tempting me to whine and grouch at my family.  Or, it can draw me to God in prayerful dependence.

God has a purpose in sleeplessness and restlessness.  That purpose is greater than our need for sleep.  One of my favorite poets, George Herbert (1593-1633), imagined what may have occured when the triune God planned our creation.  I love this ancient poem:

The Pulley

When God at first made man, having a glasse of blessings standing by;

Let us (said he) poure on him all we can:

Let the worlds riches, which dispersed lie,

Contract into a span.

So strength first made a way;

Then beautie flow'd, then wisdome, honor, pleasure:

When almost all was out, God made a stay,

Perceiving that alone of all his treasure

Rest in the bottome lay.

For if I should (said he)

Bestow this jewell also on my creature,

He would adore my gifts in stead of me,

And rest in Nature, not the God of Nature:

So both should losers be.

Yet let him keep the rest,

But keep them with repining restlessnesse:

Let him be rich and wearie, that at least,

If goodnesse leade him not,  yet wearienesse

May tosse him to my breast.

George Herbert, 1633

There are many practical ideas to help one sleep better.  I'd love to hear what works for you! Here are a few I've picked up along the way:

Don'ts

- Don't eat after 7 p.m.

- Don't be too active just before you need to sleep (walking or stretching is okay).

- Don't eat dairy products late - they take at least 4 hours to digest.



Do's

- Ask God to relax your mind and help you sleep.

- Turn off the TV and computer at least one hour before bed time.

- Exercise (earlier in the day)

- Keep your room organized and beautiful = a restful oasis.

- An idea from my Dad: beware of pride - your ideas aren't so important that they can't wait until tomorrow. :)

- For a mind that won't slow down, listen to the radio on low volume all night.

- Have a regular bed time, and don't deviate from it more than 30 minutes on the weekend.

- Read or do something that relaxes you, saving a Bible verse for just before you nod off.

- Try lettuce tea.  Pour a cup of boiling hot water over a handful of lettuce in a mug, and let it steep for 30 minutes.  I've tried this once, and it was amazing how it relaxed me.  One of my friends quipped, "It worked for Peter Rabbit!"

- Journal before bed.  This especially helps me if I direct my entry to God, telling His all that's on my heart.

- Pray down your mental list of needs, remembering not just your needs but the needs of others.

- To relieve your mind, keep a notepad next to your bed to jot down thoughts.

- Quote Bible verses you've memorized.

- List your blessings by going through the alphabet, or list characteristics of God and thank Him for Who He is: Almighty, Beautiful Savior, Counselor ...

Rest isn't a right - it's a gift.  Let "The Pulley" of restlessness draw you to God.

"I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; For You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety."  Psalm 4:8

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