Surrendering my outward appearance

 For inward beauty

And

HIS Certain Love

The other day out of sheer boredom my husband and I took a walk through our Mall.  I must tell you we rarely do this.  We try to live within our means and try to prevent the temptations of worldly goods.  Each store shouting you must have this or that and how could you even live without that gadget?

   So I found this device that really would be handy!  As my “mature” eyes are changing, I find it a wee more difficult to really see what I am doing when I put on my make up.  Ok gals, you know what I am talking about plucking eyebrows, putting on mascara and such.  There it was a magnified mirror.  Now I have seen magnified mirrors before but this was SCARY!  It must have magnified 3X the normal amount!!  There stared back at me everything I did not want to see!  Oh yes, I saw the eyebrows that needed plucked.  I inspected my crooked eyeliner application.  I observed spots, hairs, wrinkles and WRINKLES I never knew I had…and frankly would like to still be living in my little denial world!  The day’s outing became a nightmare I would like to forget.

   Is that really what I look like? Is that how people see me?  What do people really see?  These are all questions I began to ponder.  As if it really should matter.

  

The Lord doesn't see things the way you see them.

 People judge by outward appearance,

 but the Lord looks at the heart

1 Samuel 16:7

   As a few days have passed and I have given more thought about the mirror, what is seen and what is unseen.  Such a simple lesson that reminded me and made me eternally thankful!  Nothing, Nothing I can do or not do can separate me from HIS presence. 

   No make up, clothing or even phony smile hides my heart from God.  No touch-up on my appearance matters to Him.  He sees straight through me, right to my heart. WHY WOULD I WANT IT ANY OTHER WAY!?

   What relief that brings.  I am totally naked, all known, no pretense…I AM FULLY UNDERSTOOD.  I breathe that thought in deep.  I am entirely, completely, altogether totally understood.  I am grateful beyond words! Nothing I can do or not do, separates me from His presence. 

I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love.  Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow-not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.  No power in the sky above or in the earth below indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8:38-39

   Now take in that verse!  I am going to come back to it in a minuet. 

   On Sunday at church our pastor was talking about sin in our life.  Those nagging sins that we keep hidden, those same ones we have been working on that keep popping up. I had the AUDACITY to confess to God I wasn't sure I had any.  Well you can better believe HE was ever so good to begin showing me them!  Honestly it is good that He shows me, GENTLY MAGNIFIES THEM IN THE MIRROR, showing me the ugliness of them all!  I accept the ugliness.  I know He shows me so he can teach and correct.  That is Love.  It gives me the confidence to talk to HIM about everything.  I have peace that my relationship with Christ is drenched with grace. He rescues us from ourselves.

He led me to a place of safety;

  He rescued me because he delights in me.

2 Samuel 22:20

  

   This morning in my devotion time I was so touched by His gentle teaching and revealing to me!  He rescues me from the bondage of these continual sins! And HE DELIGHTS IN ME! HE DELIGHTS IN ME! Who am I that the Lord God, Creator of the Universe delights in me.  I am touched.  

  As I shared and confessed to my husband some issues the Lord was working on and correcting me, I did not get the response I would have desired.  Now remember, my husband is handsome, funny, a provider, giving, smart and a great many other things.  Sensitivity is not one of his best qualities and God is not finished with any of us.  I don’t expect him to be perfect.  Only one Man is perfect. However it would have been nice to hear, “Oh you’re not that bad”, or “I will be praying God helps you with that”.  Instead I received the agreement response like, “It’s about time you figured that out”.

   In the past I would have been hurt and devastated by that response. I would have felt unloved.  Today however it brought the point home that ONLY CHRIST FULLY UNDERSTANDS MY HEART. He doesn't see the magnified ugly me.  He see’s His daughter, His Child, His bride. HE knows my heart, sees my heart desire to please, change, grow and conform to his image.  What people say, what people think they see outwardly, doesn't matter to me as much as the knowledge that HE FULLY UNDERSTANDS ME.

 When my heart is focused on standing real before him, not ashamed of the lumps, bumps and wrinkles then I am conformed and changed.

        Interestingly when I focus on my heart,

                                then the beauty in my heart shines outwardly!

Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last; but a woman who fears the Lord will be greatly praised.

Proverbs 31:30

Don’t be concerned about the outward beauty of fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry, or beautiful clothes.  You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God.

1 Peter 3:3-4

   Now, let’s go back to Romans 8:38  It is the prayer of my heart today that I am CONVINCED (certain, sure, positive, confident, influenced, persuaded, and satisfied) that NOTHING, NOTHING can ever separate us from God’s love. No wrinkles, no ugly hidden sin.  Nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God.

I FEEL SO LOVED WRINKLES AND ALL!

HE DELIGHTS IN ME!