Au Natural: Believing You Are Beautiful

Tweet

This is me with my Makeup Mask in place

As I'm standing in front of my bathroom mirror with the mascara wand poised for application, I hear a sweet little voice say, 'Mommy are you getting pretty?" I'd been mentally preparing myself for the makeup & beauty questions so I had my answers ready. "Sweetheart, Mommy is pretty just the way God made her.(Yeah right) Make up is just for fun. Mommy only wears it sometimes" What I hadn't anticipated, but should have known was that my Goldilocks would have a comment wise beyond her years.'Yeah Mommy, like when people are gonna see you."  She skipped her way out of the bathroom leaving me chuckling & convicted. I tell my Darlings all the time that they are lovely. I tell them that they don't need fancy clothes or makeup to be beautiful. I tell them that beauty comes from the inside. Don't get frazzled, don't close this post... I'm not saying you should toss out your bag of makeup...I certainly am not!  I am simply very aware that my message to my daughters appears hypocritical...it is indeed, I did not mean one word of what I told my daughter. Goldilocks' is not even 4 years old, & she saw through my ruse.
I look at my rosy cheeked, bright eyed beauties, & I know that no amount of makeup would ever make them more gorgeous in my eyes. So when did I begin looking in the mirror & seeing only the flaws? On the days when the darlings & I are home, I rarely wear makeup...but I also avoid the mirrors. I go makeup free at home in a conscious attempt to show my darlings that Mommy doesn't always wear makeup & doesn't just wear it to feel pretty, but they can see through this farce. Goldilocks called me out on it. This morning I got out of the shower, blow dried my hair, put on moisturizer, looked at my reflection & cringed. I do not like what I see in the mirror. I do not view my au natural appearance as pleasant in the least. I have J.R. Ewing eyebrows, teeth that could use braces (again), round cheeks, blotchy complexion, a double chin...the list never ends. Indeed I look in that mirror & see very little that I do like. We all (or at least most) feel that way. We wouldn't dream of walking out into the world without our faces on...it dawned on me yesterday that if that's the case then all we have ever truly seen of one another is a mask...how very sad is that? I want my girls to believe they are beautiful. I want them to love the masterpiece that Abba created when He made them....and truthfully I want to feel that way about myself.
Quite some time ago I wrote a post about beauty called, "Mirror, Mirror',(I'll add a link to it at the bottom of this post) but I have long since forgotten to take to heart all that the Lord revealed to me in that message. Scripture is clear, beloved sisters, beauty...the true, genuine, & unfading kind, comes from within. Beauty that is evident in the sparkle of the eyes & in the depths of a smile derives from who we are. 1 Peter 3:3-4 'Don't be concerned about the outward beauty of fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry, or beautiful clothes. You should clothe yourself instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle & quiet spirit, which is so beautiful to God." The Proverbs 31 Woman had beautiful clothes & most likely makeup as well so certainly those things are not bad...unless what we are without them is ugly (not in the physical sense). If we despise what we see in the mirror, if we envy those who we view as more lovely...I would say that appearance has become an idol to us, & we must break free from that bondage. Today I am going to begin ripping off those chains. I am going to take a giant leap out of my comfort zone. I am going to have faith that Abba will reveal to me the beauty that He sees within me. I will not lie to my darlings. If I tell them that they are beautiful the way Abba made them...if I tell them that I am beautiful the way He made me...then I want to know it...I want to believe it.
Today I am declaring that I am beautiful. I am a woman who loves the Lord, her husband, & her children with all that she is. I am a woman who wants to make a difference in the Kingdom. I am a daughter of the Most High God. I am a princess to the King of Kings. My heart is beautiful (most of the time). My beauty derives from who I am. That's not enough, many of us would admit that our hearts, who we are is good (for the most part). I acknowledge that any beauty I have comes from that, but I want to be shallow for a moment...to admit to outer beauty. Today I am declaring that I am beautiful. I have brown eyes that shine. I like my eyes. I am petite..I like that I am short...for now that's about all that I can admit to honestly, but I am praying that Abba will help me to be more content with the mold He poured my soul into. Today I am declaring that I am beautiful because my Abba created me, & if He declared that His creation was 'Good' then bygolly I will too! Standing that close to the edge of my comfort zone abyss, I might as well jump all the way off...here goes!

Here I am, au natural. No hairspray. No foundation. No eyeshadow. No blush. No lipstick. No contouring. Just me. You'll never know how hard it's going to be for me to hit publish on this post, but I'll do it...because I want the chains gone. I want to be comfortable in my skin. I want you to see me without the mask. I am going to post a picture just like this on Instagram & Facebook as well for the same reasons...This is me, Brianne Kaye Rainey Davidson. Named after my Daddy & my Grammie. Wife of the Lone Ranger. Mother of the Darlings. Daughter of Abba. Brown-eyed, short girl.  I am beautiful. 

Be Blessed this Day, Beautiful Sisters!

Mirror, Mirror post:
http://striving2baproverbs31woman.blogspot.com/2012/06/mirror-mirror-body-image.html