Taking Off Your Makeup
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There is nothing like washing your face after a long day, a night out, or a big event. To me, there’s something about washing off the makeup, the grime, and the sweat that you had on your skin all day. It’s just so refreshing. I think this kind of resembles how we live our lives. Yes, I mean the whole wearing makeup thing, but I also mean wearing masks.
[pullquote width=”300″ float=”left”]I need to wash off the makeup, or the mask, and be the person that God wants me to be and live for Him daily. I need to face the life God has made for me everyday fresh, without a mask on, just the girl that God made me[/pullquote]As of recently, I have been attending an AMAZING bible study through my sorority, Sigma Alpha Omega. The bible study is led by our faculty advisor, Heather, and I can honestly say that I haven’t been more excited for Tuesday night bible study since my Thursday night bible study in high school. The book we’ve been reading is called Graceful: Letting Go of Your Try-Hard Life by Emily P. Freeman. The book is geared toward high school girls, but let me tell you – I love this book and I am a junior in college. Graceful talks all about hiding: hiding behind different stereotypes or masks; finding your identity in something other than Jesus. The other thing that the book talks about is finding comfort and your identity in Jesus, or taking off the mask. Emily Freeman talks about all of these different types of identities we hide behind – the heroine, the girl next door, the judge, and some others. Throughout reading the book, I’ve noticed that a little piece of me fits in to every single “girl” we talk about. Freeman also talks about being the “good girl,” who I have been most of my life, hiding behind rules and guidelines, feeling the need to be perfect, or at least make it look like I’m perfect to others. But I’m not perfect and I shouldn’t be trying to make people think I am. I shouldn’t be finding my identity in being a “good girl”. I should be finding myself through Christ and how He wants me to live.
Philippians 1:21(NLT) says, “For me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better.” This verse really hits me in the face sometimes. I know that I get so caught up in MY life that I’m not living the life HE has for me. I need to wash off the makeup, or the mask, and be the person that God wants me to be and live for Him daily. I need to face the life God has made for me everyday fresh, without a mask on, just the girl that God made me.
Throughout the semester, I have gotten to know these girls that come to the bible study so much better. And I can relate to all of them. They are all in the same boat that I’m in. They all have struggles, too. They hide behind masks like I do. And we all encourage each other to be the best Godly woman we can be. And Heather, our advisor? She tells us her struggles as much as we tell her ours. She relates to us and gives us scripture when we’re caught up in our own mess. She is our constant cheerleader and a beautiful representation of a Godly woman. Imperfections, flaws, and all. Because that is what it looks like to live a life for Christ without wearing a mask.
Living the best life is living a life that God has tailor-made for you. So wipe off all of the makeup, or masks, that you wear because you are more beautiful without it.
- Shattered Glass - August 25, 2017
- Rising Tides Raise All Ships - January 19, 2017
- Daughter of a King - December 14, 2016
Katie, I read this book a couple of years ago and loved it. It’s so freeing to live out in the open with no makeup or mask, because you stop worrying if your mask is crooked or your makeup is smudged….you are free to stop thinking about how you appear to others, and are more able to see opportunities in front of you…and all the ways you can think of others
Sounds like a great book Katie, I need to check that out for me (and Ashlee). We’re both the perfectionist type and being the good girl and people pleaser well that can be quite exhausting. Instead I’ve moved my focus to being pleasing to God in the way I live out my life for him and understanding that he loves me for just plain ol’ me, make-up and mask free. He’ll clean me up if I start to get messy. Life’s so much easier this way!
” I need to face the life God has made for me everyday fresh, without a mask on, just the girl that God made me.” Don’t we all? Love this!
“She is our constant cheerleader and a beautiful representation of a Godly woman. Imperfections, flaws, and all. Because that is what it looks like to live a life for Christ without wearing a mask.”Go, Heather! God loves when we pull others into an honest faith!!! So glad you found this group, Katie!
Dear Katie: This post reminds me how important a loving community is. My husband and I recently changed small groups and I was very surprised by how DIFFERENT our new one feels to me. This group of people is so loving and alive and real and unpretentious. Last week, I didn’t even check how I looked in the mirror before we headed out. I knew, “These people love me, with or without lipstick, in a cute outfit or yoga pants.” That’s such a great feeling, that you can “come as you are.”
Katie, I facilitate a young women’s life group in our church. Thank you for this resource. Love the analogy of taking off our makeup/masks. Super post.