I think it’s easy to think logically and say that we know the priority is our hearts, and not our outward appearance or attitudes. However, the messages from culture that constantly bombard are contrary to this……honestly just sin nature that naturally wells up in each of us is enough to threaten our focus.
This is not breaking news to any of you women. We want to fix our hair, our makeup, have the right outfit, redo our kitchens, make our homes presentable and on any given day will apologize all over ourselves if someone stops by and we are in sweats, no makeup, and the house is a mess. Maybe you have spent the whole day rocking your fussy baby, working through math problems with your kiddo, tending to a sibling squabble, making a meal and trying to sort a few clothes in between.
The problem? Nobody knows any of that, because those are all things that can’t be “seen” and aren’t “known” to the “stopper inner” (pretty sure I just made up that word). Don’t we have a desire to be known and appreciated? To say, “Wait, I haven’t been lazy really, I have been trying to love my children well today!”
We have 3 boys – 3 wonderful boys……they truly are gifts, but during one season of parenting, our youngest was struggling mightily at the store. After one grocery trip in which he threw such a fit as we passed by the toy aisle (thanks Dillons for placing your toy aisle so strategically!! – insert sarcasm) – mind you, I NEVER have been the mom to buy my kids toys at the store or get candy at the checkout…..but judging by how my child was acting, you’d think I bribed him every trip!
After we got back in the car…..my oldest boy declared how very embarrassed he was – me too buddy…..me too!! And why? Because my youngest had acted like a toddler in need of training – huh, aren’t they all?! That just happened to be a place he struggled more than others – we needed to work on and focus on….praise the Lord I could be his mom, witness his weaknesses, and try to help him learn and overcome. It all seems a bit funny now, I don’t think twice about taking any of them to any store and enjoy having them along on grocery runs as they are now quite helpful! But 5 years ago…..I couldn’t have possibly seen the hope then.
And why am I writing about this on a makeup blog?? It’s our hearts……it’s our nature to always take care of the “seen” first and the “unseen” later….At the store if anyone saw me they would have assumed I didn’t parent well – silly pride – when I wanted to say ‘hey, I really do parent well, he’s just broken – ha….he’s broken, I’m broken, we’re all broken human beings in need of a Savior. And sometimes – later never comes and by the time we tend to our hearts, there is more work there than what feels manageable. Now here’s the Good News – it’s never too late, your heart is never too far gone for God to repair it….for God to pull the beauty out of it….but you have to be willing.
Let’s today focus more on the unseen than the seen…..in doing so, although it might not translate into pinterest perfect hair, makeup, or homes……it can transform hearts and families. Your weakness is going to look different than mine…feel free to share in the comments what your struggle is. I think it’s being aware of the places we struggle, turning them over to God, and letting Him transform our hearts so we can steward well all these areas of our lives.
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