Unfading Beauty

WEEKLY ENCOURAGEMENT LETTER

Why I Still Wear Makeup at 72

Dear Friend:

At 72, I still wear makeup. I still enjoy a little blush, lipstick, defined eyes, and the simple pleasure of putting myself together. But the older I get, the more clearly I see that makeup was never meant to carry the weight of my worth.

There is nothing wrong with caring for our appearance. The danger begins when caring quietly becomes chasing — another product, another promise, another attempt to make the mirror tell us that we are still beautiful, still visible, still valuable.

The mirror can tell us that our skin has changed. It can tell us that our hair, eyes, and face look different than they once did. But the mirror cannot tell us whether we matter. It cannot tell us how God sees us. That is far too much authority to give a piece of glass.

A Few Things to Carry With You This Week

Enjoy outward beauty without asking it to define you. Makeup, skincare, hair, and clothing can be enjoyed as part of caring for ourselves. They become a burden when we need them to prove our worth.

Do not confuse aging with diminishing value. Your face is changing, but God’s attention has never been limited to the outward appearance. He sees the heart.

Step out of the Beauty Loop. When one product becomes another, then another, ask what you are really seeking. Sometimes we are trying to fix our skin when what hurts is how aging has made us feel about ourselves.

Invest most deeply in what does not fade. Scripture points us again and again toward the hidden person of the heart — character, faith, wisdom, gentleness, courage, compassion, and reverence for God.

Learn to walk away from the mirror. Take care of yourself. Enjoy looking lovely. Then go live your life. The mirror was never meant to be the place where your identity is decided.

Scripture to Hold Close

1 Peter 3:3–4, KJV

“Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.”

1 Samuel 16:7, KJV

“But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.”

Psalm 139:14, KJV

“I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.”

Proverbs 31:30, KJV

“Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised.”

A Reflection for the Week

Perhaps the question is not, “Should I still care about how I look?” Perhaps the better question is, “Where have I placed the weight of my beauty?”

God does not ask us to deny the outward changes that come with age. He simply keeps redirecting our attention to what is being formed where nobody else can see.

So put on the lipstick if you enjoy it. Care for your skin. Wear something that makes you feel put together. Then remember: your greatest beauty is not the part that can be washed off at the end of the day.

Prayer

Father, thank You that I am fearfully and wonderfully made and that Your works are marvelous. When I judge myself only by what I see in the mirror, remind me that man looks on the outward appearance, but You look on the heart. Form in me the hidden beauty of the heart – the beauty that does not fade – and make my spirit precious in Your sight. Keep outward beauty in its proper place. Teach me to fear You more than I fear aging, and to desire the life You call worthy of praise. Let me care for the outside with gratitude while giving my deepest attention to the woman You are forming within me. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Take care of the face. Take care of the body.
But above all, pay attention to what God is forming in the soul.
See Beauty Differently.

 

Scripture Images from This Week’s Message (feel free to download)

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A Short Prayer

Father, Give us wisdom to know the difference between a season You have ended and a season in which we have simply grown weary. If You are asking us to release something, give us the grace to release it. But if You are asking us to continue, give us the strength to keep going when we cannot yet see the outcome. Help us not to allow discouragement to speak louder than You.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Until next week,
Angela ❤️
Unfading Beauty ~ Beauty Formed By God | 1 Peter 3:3–4