My face reflects my emotions. I don’t need makeup to define my beauty. My relationships help make me who I am. Makeup is something I use to reflect my confidence without conceit. By allowing God into my life, He has removed the pain in my heart caused by others. It was their issue/s not mines to hold. Now my relationships bare the fruit of the Spirit: Love, Joy, Peace, Patients, Kindness, Generosity, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self Control. (Galatians 5.22-23)
How can we let God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit guide our relationships?
I want to use the application of make-up as a metaphor to explain this guidance.
Whole face: God is our foundation to all our relationships starting with our relationship with him. He is LOVE. He is not an angry god looking to punish you for every wrong. He is looking to woo you to him so He can love you. He invites us to enter into a personal relationship with his son Jesus. It is in this relationship that we are connected back to God and can enjoy the fullness of his love here-and-now and in eternity. (Romans 10.9, “because if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”)
Eyes: To have someone trust us, we smile and widen our eyes. This is typically done with our couscous thought. With make-up you apply a shimmery beige/tan or brown shadow from lash to brow bone. Finish with a slightly darker shadow on the lids for definition. We can use our eyes to start friendships and give direct messages of rejection or acceptance. God clearly want us to, “If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, competing against one another, envying one another.
Cheeks: The blushing bride is the first thing that comes to mind. Why would a bride blush? Most commonly to show her modesty, youth and anticipation of her new life with her husband. We should anticipate our relationships with warmth that causes the blood to fill our faces. We will see variant degrees of this depending on how close we are to each person. The anticipation of Jesus’ return should have his bride, the Church blushing.
Lips: If our eyes don’t get the attention, our mouth will. (Proverbs 22.14, 25.15, 26.6) In one search I found 308 scripture reference on the word mouth.
The color of your lipstick will attract different types of attention. One test had nine women go in for interviews for half of them they wore lipstick the other half they did not. This is some of the findings: the women wearing red lipstick and using larger lip displays were seen as more interested in themselves and in men’s attention, while women with reduced lip displays and muted or pastel colors were seen as more career-oriented and businesslike. The women with no lipstick were seen as more serious about work than men, but lacking in personal skills.
v First physical attraction: Love at first sight is more like or lust at first sight. You are saying ‘something about this person brings out the good in me, makes me feel good. This initial attraction is necessary for the relationship to be explored deeper than an associate or friend. It strikes a chord in us that says I will enjoy myself if I can spend time with this person. Now you begin to prepare yourself as someone this person is attracted to. You may choose your words to express welcome in a non-threatening manner. Further contact will have leading questions to determine if the person is attracted to you as well. Layering: Exfoliate moisturize
v Second, flirts and interview: speed of response, body language, likes & dislikes, ignore or deal with it: Select contrast or complementing liner/complementing color is better.
v Third, Can I see you me and we? Can you see yourself in this relationship? Just as the Bible says two will become one, relationships that develop with intimate ties will have a new identity a couple but the attributes/features of each individual should be recognizable. To lose yourself as you or your partner become overbearing is death to your self-esteem and the fullness of the relationship. Individual desires should be fulfilled by the discovery of ways to meet each other’s needs. (exmp. If you like your hair short so it is easy to manage, but your boyfriend or husband likes it long and flowing to accent your beauty and femininity, you could wear up do’s for you and let it swing on occasion for him.) Application of the lip liner—over the entire lip) you are still yourself within the relationship and blend as a new color with boundaries and definition..
v Fourth, Give to get: Now that you know you like each other, you can work out your differences and you feel good when you’re with each other, you can present to each other and the outside world your oneness. You are dedicated to each other for deeper intimacy and acceptance from your family, friends and network of support. Your needs are being met and you have a sense of fulfillment that you are caring for someone other than yourself. No need to be desperate and overwhelm those around you. Satisfaction is in your heart. In this state of contentment you are willing to give of yourself to maintain this healthy relationship. The blend of color is finalized and the prep work done in the first two steps allows the lipstick color to magnify the natural shape of the mouth. Blot and your need for self-confidence and for others to trust you are supplied.
(Scripture tie in Ephesians 4.1-3 I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.)
More info:
How can we let God, Jesus (Ephesians 5.17 & 1 Timothy 1:16) and the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5.16 & 22-26) guide our relationships?
