fresh face, fresh perspective

About a week ago, my lovely accountability partner, Britney, and I decided to embark on a week long challenge.

We decided to go one week 100% make-up free.

We've talked on and off about doing a challenge like this for a few years now but never had the "time" {which actually means never had the guts}.  ;)

The motivation?

To reveal idols.  

Idols which have been built by insecurities many women today struggle with.  Insecurities resulting from finding our identity in beauty as the world has defined it, not in the truth of beauty as God defines it.

We anticipated it wouldn't be easy and were anxious as our "start"day grew nearer to discover what God would reveal in each of our hearts.

First of all, I have to tell you something funny... we rescheduled two or three times.  The cause?  Events that we just couldn't NOT wear make-up to!  Hysterical, right?  We fully realize {then and now} how completely this contradicts the entire purpose of this make-up free week.

Okay, so skip ahead.

What did I experience?

It's interesting actually.  I realized that going about life make-upless didn't effect me the way I thought it would.  I thought I would spend the week demolishing my idols of pride and vanity and that wasn't exactly the way it played out.

More often than not, I didn't notice much different that week.  

No one treated me different or even seemed to notice the difference {Isn't it funny how we can become so focused on ourselves that we assume everyone around us will notice how great we do or don't look?}  and I didn't feel as insecure as I thought I would {I must honestly note that as a zit-prone kinda gal, I was thankful I happened to be having a "clear skin" week}.

What was different?

I did notice when I looked in the mirror, and when I noticed, my thoughts weren't often positive.

I found that a few different days that week I tended to take on an attitude of, "Well I'm not wearing make-up, I'll just throw my hair in a ponytail and wear some comfy clothes."  That was an interesting realization for me.  It was as if I'd made a decision on those days that without make-up, it wasn't worth making myself presentable any other way... interesting.

What I learned?

Make-up isn't as much a part of my identity as I thought it was.  However, it is still enough a part of it that it needs to be kept in check.  No, I don't believe wearing make-up and wanting to look attractive and presentable is wrong.  I also don't believe any woman, myself included, should have to be wearing make-up in order to feel attractive and presentable.  

Our identity -- knowing we are beautiful inside and out -- should come from one place alone.  We should know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that we are beautiful women, inside and out, because we are created by a beautiful and holy God.  David Crowder nailed this point on the head when he wrote, "He makes everything glorious.  He makes everything glorious, so what does that make me?"

Now, the hard part...

How do I move forward?

This is actually a really tough question right now.  When Britney and I met at the end of our make-up free week we discussed this rather extensively.  Neither of us are really sure, actually.  We both agree that considering what's been revealed in our own hearts, we don't want to just call it a goal met and move forward as if nothing has happened.  We also both agree that it's not wrong to wear make-up.  I think we've both decided {correct me if I'm wrong, Brit} that it's important to continually evaluate our motivations behind make-up.  We also want to re-evaluate how much make-up we wear and how often, because clearly, it didn't bother us a whole lot to let it go for a week, so maybe we don't need to be wearing it as much or as often... ?  

The bottom line is that we want to move forward in the confidence that we have been created beautiful inside and out by a God who loves us and we need to wear that confidence everyday with or without our make-up.

...

So there you have it, folks.

I would challenge any woman out there to try a week like this one... you may be surprised what a time of increased vulnerability gives the Lord opportunity to reveal in you!  I'm certain He's far from finished revealing things in me.

Oh, PS, this was #27 on the list, woo!