When You're Putting on Your Makeup...

I know I titled this blog... "When Your Putting on Your Makeup" but, just to clarify, it is completely applicable to men as well as women.

Tonight I went to BCM (Baptist Campus Ministries) and we did a Bible study out of 1 Samuel Chapter 16. In this passage, God as called Samuel to travel to Bethlehem to find God's chosen king and anoint him. This new king is David, (THE DAVID... as in David who is known as a man after God's own heart). The current king, Saul, is very handsome but has not been leading the people the way God would have him to. The point of this blog isn't to give you a bible lesson though (however, this is an interesting passage that I suggest you read ) The point is to pick out a couple key verses and learn from them.

There was one verse that really struck a chord with me were 1 Samuel 16:7, which says "But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart."

 Let's look at verse 7. The Lord tells Samuel to not pay attention to outward appearance, for God doesn't see a man for what he looks like on the outside, but for the condition his heart is in. We are told all the time... "It's what's on the inside that counts" and "Don't judge a book by its cover" yet we spend hours working on our appearance..... we use false tanners, hair products out the wazzoo, makeup, clothes, jewlery, etc. Pretty much anything we can get out hands on to make our selves more attractive to the eye. And while we are doing this... we are forgetting to tend to the most important thing we have.... our heart.

I am guilty of this as well. I spend a lot of time on my physical appearance.... and while I do spend time working on my heart's appearance, when I am getting ready in the morning it's not what I'm thinking about. When I'm getting ready to go to school or work I am thinking about how to make myself look a certain way, and how to get my hair to do what I want it to, and what outfit am I going to wear, and how am I going to do my makeup. And while there is nothing wrong with looking your best, the heart needs to be the center piece of your appearance. You could be the most attractive person in the world... but if you have a blackened and crisp heart... what do you really have?

Now again, I'm not saying give up on personal hygiene.... I myself don't plan to just start rolling out of bed and forgoing my beauty routine... but I do plan to start setting aside time to talk to God and ensure that my heart is in the right place each and every day. I plan to spend a little less time trying to impress people by working on my physical appearance, and little more time trying to please God with my heart.