Vain

Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised.  —Proverbs 31:30

I had lots of tasks to accomplish yesterday.  First and foremost on the list was to get my driver’s license renewed since it would expire at the end of the day!  After that would be a visit to a bookstore during their closing sale.  A family member works there, and through her I’ve gotten to know the owner over the years.  The visit would be shopping plus a social call.  Next would be lunch with a friend whom I don’t see as often as in previous years.  Finally, I would head to my shop.  There, it was a night full of visitors.  

After closing, my oldest daughter looked at me and asked if I was okay.  Wondering what prompted that, I answered yes and gave her a questioning look.  She told me that I looked pale and maybe even a little sick.  Since I felt fine, I was a bit taken aback by her assessment.  She took a closer look at my face and then asked, “Mom, did you forget to put makeup on today???”  Now I don’t wear much, only some eyeliner and mascara, but I do that every single morning of every single day so of course I wouldn’t forget….would I?

As I felt my eyelashes to find them clean and bare, I couldn’t believe she was right!  Was I becoming senile at such a **cough** young age?  When I thought back to my morning routine to figure out how I had forgotten, I remembered thinking about my driver’s license photo.  I had to make sure my hair was just so and sprayed down well to keep the static from making me look like a crazy person.  I also had to pick out just the right shirt because, hello, this photo stays with you for four whole years!  I can’t be looking out of style on my ID before it expires.  

There was the problem.  I let vanity take over my morning.  I let my appearance be my main concern for the day.  The funny thing is, upon discovering my error, I actually sent a message to two of the women with whom I had spent time explaining why I might have looked odd.  You know what?  Both of them said they didn’t even notice.  

Now, this is no testament to my natural beauty (again, **cough**).  It’s more a confession of my shallow concerns.  My friends didn’t care about my face.  My friends cared about catching up, about sharing our lives with each other, and about laughing together.  They care about me enough to not notice the outside.  

If my friends can offer me this kind of grace, imagine how much more grace Jesus offers us.  He looks past the outside appearance, past the vanity, past the wrinkles and the scars.  He sees the heart instead and all the possibilities for good that He can bring forth.  He sees someone with whom He shares life and for whom He gave his own life.  He sees perfection despite the flaws, made possible by His grace, no makeup necessary.