APPEARANCES

            

Though applicable to both genders, this post will appeal primarily to women. 

     Not a woman alive awakens in the morning without a check of her body’s profile in the bathroom mirror. We are obsessed with belly bloats, flat bums, fat cheeks, saddle bag thighs, saggy skin, droopy eyes, crow’s feet, turkey necks, flabby arms, thin hair, gray hair, “upper lips” and hairy chins…and that’s just at first glance!

     I recently discovered a rare find…about 10 of my mother’s personal diaries. One can only imagine how special but difficult it is to read these journals. Evidently, she, too, was consumed with her reflection since the first item in the daily entries was a record of her bathroom scale.

     Spa memberships, cellulite creams, body wraps, weight loss and nutrition plans, cosmetics, jewelry, clothing, shoes & purses, accessorized her “fashionable debt” giving her the appearance of prosperity. I say all this, not to dishonor my mother’s memory with this criticism, but to address our culture’s obsession with “image.” I wonder if she ever pondered “why” as she struggled with “losing her looks” and “hanging onto her man.”

     Now, someone might ask, “Aren’t you in an industry that helps people improve their appearance?” Yes, I admit I have made a comfortable living helping people feel good about themselves. I observe a definite change in a client’s countenance as they arrive and depart from my salon. A mirror’s reflection has an effect on both inner and outer realities, which brings the deeper message of my post. 

     “We are easily distracted by the superficial, pretentious details of living life while our inner soul hungers and thirsts to be fed.”

     Before I commit words to paper, I always pray and ask God what message He wants me to share in this forum. And it is always about the MESSAGE…not about me, I hope you understand. I am just willing to be transparent about how the message manifests in my life. That day, as I stared at my own “fluffy” reflection in the bathroom mirror, God was observing my shallow heart. With my human eyes, I can only see my external appearance, but He sees the inner intentions and discerns every motive for everything I do and say. God sees every insensitivity and judgment I make.

     Our small group from church discussed this subject not long ago after our pastor’s “Sermon on the Mount” series. It’s our custom to review the message from the previous Sunday and dig deeper as people share from their personal experiences. “Do not judge lest you be judged…” from Matthew 7:1-6 led to a time of sharing that I won’t soon forget.

     One woman told about an unexpected layover in the Atlanta airport several years ago while traveling with her young children in tow. Flight after flight was delayed and eventually canceled which meant an overnight stay. Frantic, distraught and frustrated conversations with gate agents were for naught against unforeseen circumstances. 

     While standing at the desk, a tattooed young man approached her and though he wasn’t the sort of person she ordinarily would have “connected” with, his words changed her entire outlook about the layover. 

     “Ma’am, it seems you have an opportunity here to make this a real adventure for these kids!” 

     And she did. They booked a hotel, ordered pizza, rented movies, jumped on the beds and probably enjoyed a pillow fight or two. Now, her children are grown and have a few tattoos of their own! So much for judging by appearances… I could write a book about the responses I’ve had to the tattoo on my wrist, even a few refusals to shake my hand!

       “Did you REE-A-ALLY want that on your hand?”

Or my personal favorite, “You don’t seem like the type to get a tattoo…”

     Okay, so what type do I seem like? What concrete details define someone? Is it clothing, expressions, characteristics or behavior that we base these judgments? What exactly does an artist look like anyway? For that matter, what does a pastor, teacher, doctor, banker, attorney, car salesman, secretary, homeless person, or an addict look like? Except for the aid of a mirror, none of us would ever really know what we look like or have any semblance of who we are to the world. 

     Relationally, we are mirrors unto ourselves. I can see the best or worst characteristics in others that I am unable or refuse to see in myself. I preach condemnation for acts against me that I seek mercy for! This is hypocrisy at my soul’s core and I perpetuate the lie when I refuse to be real with myself about myself. 

     God desires His Word to be The Mirror. Because He loves me, it is for Kingdom Goodness and for my benefit that He reveals my spiritual flaws and shows my greater need for His Time, His Wisdom and His Restoration. “Do I just give The Mirror an occasional glance only to step away and forget what I saw? Or fail altogether and truly see what is really there? Am I so caught up with my outward appearance that I ignore the spiritual condition of my sinful heart?”

     Religion is like this to some people. We unknowingly abandon our personal relationship with God and become more focused on the outward appearances of “doing” church with our attendance, giving tithes and teaching Sunday school. While these actions are vital for our growth, the apostle Paul compared them as “clanging cymbals.” I did all these things but with the wrong heart motive. I realized it was more about “being seen to be seen and speaking in the group to show how much I know.”

     God is not interested in my appearances of holiness as much as my willingness to repent and bow before His Holiness. To do this, I must have a devoted heart and a disciplined life to stand before the Mirror of His Word. If someone ripped open the curtain to reveal my inner walls, what would be written there for the world to see?

     These “walls of my heart” are ever before a Holy God to be exposed and examined. Isaiah 49:16 (Amplified) is a picture of Christ’s sacrifice unto death and holds an even more personal meaning for me. Feel free to plug your name in there, too.

     “Behold, I have indelibly imprinted (tattooed a picture of) you, Kate, on the palm of each of My hands; your walls are continually before Me.”

     This scripture has assured me at times when I felt so utterly lost and forgotten. Colossians 1:22 assures me that I can stand before Him blameless and without a single fault. Because of my belief and trust in Christ alone, His Right Standing with Father God is the only mirror I need. 

     Though I am reminded forever of the consequences of a tattoo that serves as a permanent marker of a time in my wayward life, I am finally able to like who I am becoming when I look in the mirror.…

   PASS THE BLUE BELL, PLEASE!!!!

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