White washed tombs?

I've had this post  rambling thought in my head for a few weeks now. Today, I guess it became even clearer to me.Now, before I get started, there are people out there that cringe at the beginning of my stories but thankfully for them I talk faster than I type, so this won't be quite as painful;) So this thought came to me one day as I was getting ready(read putting makeup on) and I realized that I don't like for my girls to see me doing that. Why? Well, I want them to focus on the" inner" beauty. I want them to see the value in themselves through the blood of Christ. Not the praise of man.I don't want them to think that that's something that they need to do. I have a couple of friends that don't really wear makeup and they look lovely. And yet I continue to ''get ready", it's a habit I suppose. I've been wearing makeup since I was 12...oh my...that's a long time if you're counting! As a girl of 12 I wanted to look older, as a woman of 40 I want to look younger. And so it goes. But I realized that it goes so much deeper than that. Think of the descriptions for make up....concealer, cover up, full coverage, "spackle" if you will. Some of these could be interchangeable with deceit. Really, that's what it is. But underneath, the wrinkles are still there right along with the age spots. And sometimes the "cover up" actually makes it worse, sometimes we and others can see the flaws and wrinkles all the more clearly. Not what we had hoped for, huh?Now, some of you are thinking, "I don't wear makeup", "I don't fuss with my appearance", "I don't care what others think", "what you see is what you get",well, before you think that this doesn't apply to you, there are more ways than one to make ourselves look better. Vanity and deceit sometimes walk together. We all "wear makeup". What about those "fake" smiles that we plaster on? What about that "little white lie"? What about the gossip, does it make you feel better about yourself? Do others think better of you? We've been doing this since the garden, remember when Adam and Eve tried to cover  themselves? They couldn't cover their sin anymore that you or I can. God made their coverings. It took a sacrifice. We could be here for a while.....I'll move on.

So, today we had an issue of a "cover up". Yes, someone had made a "mess" of things at some point and tried to cover it up. They didn't want to get in trouble but decided to take care of  it themselves(read bigger mess). Well, I was frustrated and disappointed to say the least. So, I sent my beloved a text and ask for prayer. Oh, that we would do this more often. What a blessing to have my husband go to the Lord in prayer for me. I had to confront the issue and at the same time convey a message of love. HARD for me to do. Then my ramblings came together some more. I'm guilty of the same cover ups and so are you. We make a mess of things(read sin) and try to take care of it ourselves and end up with a bigger mess. Sin breeds sin. So, where did this conversation take us? It took us to the Cross. Praise be to God for Christ! For His "covering". Only Him, only Him.

I just realized that I haven't even gotten to the title, maybe my typing skills are improving. I think you can figure out where I was going with that:)


Thankful for Christ....

In Him,
Sandy