This month causes a lot of mixed emotions for different people. For some, it's the month in which we celebrate Thanksgiving. For others, it's their birthday month. For more people, it's No-Shave November, the month where guys don't touch a razor and end up looking like a mountain man three quarters of the way through. For me and for a few other girls I know, it's the month where we have decided to go barefaced: No-Makeup November.
When I first heard the idea, I had mixed reactions to it. On the one hand, I was all on fire for the idea. On the other hand, I was somewhat terrified. "Go without covering my flaws for a whole month?! How would I survive??!"
A lot of guys don't understand why this is such a big deal for a lot of girls. If you're one of those guys, keep reading. Even if you aren't, keep reading, as well. :) There are plenty of reasons, but here are the major few:
1. "I'm not pretty enough."
2. "Guys won't find me attractive." (YES, we secretly think this because we care about what you think of us!)
3. "I have so many flaws."
I'm going to unpack all three of these reasons, getting to the heart of the issue and what we can (and should) do about it...
1. "I'm not pretty enough."
This is a complete lie in itself. I believe that we are all beautiful in our own unique ways, because God created us in His image, and He doesn't make trash. Yes, we have been corrupted by sin, but that doesn't make us any less valuable in His sight. Yet, somehow, Satan whispers in each of our ears, "Why would anyone think you're pretty? What's so special about you?" I know there are so many days when I pick a fight with the mirror, and no matter what I do with myself, I still can't please it. Yet, like I said before, God doesn't make trash. He has created us each in His image, and we are precious in His sight. Isaiah 40:1b, 4 says this:
" 'Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name, you are mine.
...Because you are precious in my eyes,
And honored, and I love you,
I give men in return for you,
peoples in exchange for your life.' "
This is how valuable we are to God!! Even though He is speaking to Israel through Isaiah, I believe He feels this way towards His people.
2. "Guys won't find me attractive."
I've talked to several of my close guy friends about this. By asking them about it, I've come to find something very interesting, and that is this: THEY DON'T CARE. At least two of them has even encouraged me to not wear makeup, because for one, it covers up our REAL face, and two, because they want to see how truly beautiful we really are without it. Not in a shallow way at all. Two other guys I've talked to have told me that I don't look any different without it on. Which is so true... I am still the same person, with or without makeup. Besides, what matters is not how you look, but everything else: how you act towards others, how much of a friend you are, and how much do you love and radiate Christ. The right guy will totally fall for you, no matter what's on your face (or what's not), because even though he might be attracted to you, he will fall even more in love with the woman you are on the inside.
1 Peter 3:3-4 is a verse most Christian girls have grown up hearing. It's such a good verse, but I think most of us have grown calloused to what it has to say to us. So, even though you may already know it, I will write it (er, type it) out here:
"Do not let your adorning be external - the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear - but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious."
This verse applies to today's society SO much and we often don't realize it. Even though a lot of us don't braid our hair regularly, we take the time to straighten it, curl it, make it wavy, cut it, etc. We girls also love to accessorize and go shopping... which is totally not a bad thing! It's also not a bad thing at all to want to look nice and such. It's when we believe that we can't be beautiful without those things that it becomes a problem. I believe for us girls, beauty in itself has become some sort of idol. Instead of spending quality time with God in the morning, we take more time getting our hair and makeup just right. I repeat: this is not a bad thing at all!!! I like making myself look nice. Most girls do. However, when we put that above God does it become a problem. We fail to realize that our outward beauty WILL fade as we get older... We'll be really funny-looking and wrinkly old people. But our inward beauty NEVER FADES; that's what is meant by imperishable beauty.
3. "I have so many flaws."
This is the one that I've struggled with for so long. Every single morning when I roll out of bed, turn on my bathroom light, and look in that mirror, the first thing I notice are my blemishes. Let me say it is SO frustrating for me because I wash my face, moisturize it, and dab the pimple cream on every single night. More often than not, though, they still won't go away. That's why I wear makeup; to cover the blemishes. It's definitely an easy way to temporarily make them disappear. And those dark circles under my eyes! The horror!
Every morning, Satan has the perfect timing in whispering to me: "Look at those blemishes! That is absolutely disgusting! You need to cover those up... And those lashes... What lashes?! Gotta make them longer and darker! How else will you get noticed?" Most mornings I give in and cover it all up, making believe that as long as it's all on, I'm decent looking.
But that's just it. Even with it on, I still feel plain and not pretty 95% of the time. So why do I keep putting it on?
I think the real issues are contentment with who we are and our pride. Girls see other gorgeous girls, which leads to thinking, "Why can't I be as pretty as her?" Which is pretty much like slapping God in the face, saying, "You did it all wrong with me." But He didn't!!! Pride also gets in the way, because we all have a desire to be the best; for girls, we want to be the most beautiful. However, we tend to go about that the wrong way.
I'm gonna say this again: GOD DOES NOT MAKE TRASH.
I hope that's gotten stuck in your head now.
So, to wrap up, I want to challenge all girls to participate in this No-Makeup November thing. If you don't, I'm not gonna be mad or sad or anything. I just know what it feels like to feel worthless and ugly. I think this is a great challenge for me personally, because I've been struggling so much with this. This will definitely help me to focus on what my true identity is and who I really am in Christ and how beautiful I really am because I was created in His image.
If you feel worthless and plain, I hope and pray that you come to find that you really ARE worth everything and that you ARE breathtakingly beautiful, no matter what is (or what's not) on your face.
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