Guest Post: How God Helped My Struggles With Makeup
I abruptly opened my eyes to the blaring sound of my alarm. As the blurriness began to subside, I slowly sat up and peered toward the window directly in front of me, it was a grey and overcast Chicago day in April but it was an exciting day nonetheless. My mom was asked to be a part of the show that highlights the benefits of incorporating more raw fruits and vegetable into your diet.
She was going as a testament to how raw foods have greatly improved her type 2 diabetes. My two sisters and I were also invited to come to the shoot to get some footage as a family (my dad had to work). Going to the shoot also brought one more thing that I was even more excited about: I could wear makeup. Now mind you I was only fifteen, but I wasn’t allowed to wear makeup unless it was for a special occasion. So whenever I could, I got super geeked about it.
Anyway, I put on a little bit of foundation, eye shadow and mascara because that’s all that my mom would let me put on that day. Let me tell you, I got more compliments on my beauty that day than I had gotten all year, and maybe even the year before that. Sadly, that day singlehandedly forged the notion in my mind that I was ONLY beautiful when I had makeup on. And quite frankly, it was that poisonous thought that controlled how I viewed myself for years to come. I genuinely believed it, which meant that the majority of the time, I just simply wasn’t beautiful. That caused me to overdo it (sometimes to the point of looking like a clown) because according to my twisted logic, there were only a few times a year where I was *actually* beautiful.
Then one day God decided to teach me a lesson. I was seventeen years old and still held on to the ‘only beautiful when wearing makeup’ mentality. I was getting ready for the annual spring formal that happened throughout high school and you guessed it, I could wear makeup. “Finally I get to be beautiful today”, I thought to myself as I was applying cakes and cakes with no proper blending techniques…yikes! I did a full face and was ready to take on the evening with full-fledged confidence. I had a lively an enjoyable night hanging out with my classmates around downtown Chicago and wished that it never had to end, but alas, we all went home.
I remember staring into my bathroom mirror trying to savor the very last moments of being ‘beautiful’ before having to wash it all off. I didn’t want to let go, I was grieving internally. More time passed and I knew I had to go to bed. Begrudgingly, I took one long, heavy sigh as I bent over into the sink to wash my face not knowing when the next time will be.
The first glance in the mirror after I rose from cleaning my face was a shocking one. Here I was without a speck of makeup on and yet I was…beautiful! My skin was radiant, my eyes were bright and I looked just as stunning as I did with a full face of makeup a few minutes ago! I had never seen myself in that way before and God totally used that moment to teach me that I am truly beautiful, unique, and precious with or without makeup on and that I don’t have to rely solely on makeup to feel good about myself. I should feel confident because I am a daughter of the King, and that I have so many attributes that He has instilled in me that go far beyond aesthetics.
That one moment completely changed my relationship with makeup forever. Since then I have started wearing it regularly and I really do enjoy the creative aspect of it. I get to play around with different products, colors, techniques, and finishes and it’s just plain fun to change up your look every now and then. I have so much freedom in that regard because I’m fully grounded in who I am and who God made me
“Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last; but a woman who fears the Lord will be greatly praised.” ~Proverbs 31:30 (NLT)
Pictures courtesy of Pixabay.com
Megan Richardson is a 22 year old who was born and raised in Chicago but is currently residing in Nashville, TN. She loves to write music, poetry, and anything that serves as an inspiration to others. She sees art in everything and hopes to help people find a fresh perspective from her work. Megan Richardson blogs about her life at The Realm of Wonder.
Twitter: MegTheRich
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/propmeganda/