when I was in high school, I had as a classmate a young woman who got up in the morning hours before her family so that even her family would not see her without her makeup on. This reminds me of how much time and energy that we as Christians put in to giving the appearance that spiritually we are "put together." We know all the best answers to the questions. We know how to look pious. Looking from the outside, one might think that we have it all together, but it is just makeup.
I recently read a book by a recovering alcoholic. I like being around recovering alcoholics. They have already come to the end of themselves. They have already failed, and they have owned up to it. The author talked at great lengths about how much we depend on the grace of God in our lives. He said that it is okay to be imperfect, struggling, even a failure, because that is often where we meet God's grace.
The other day, I saw a commercial for a morning talk show where the theme was that everyone on the show wore no makeup. I don't know much about women, but I know that to be on national television without makeup must take a big dose of courage. Perhaps we need to be more like that in our lives. I'm not suggesting that we all start divulging our deepest secrets, but perhaps we can be a little more honest with others and with ourselves. Perhaps we need to be more like the Apostle Paul who wrote that he gloried in his weakness because in his weakens, God's strength is shown.
