In the head of Mary N.
The other week the Lord called me to fast. (Piece a cake, I thought.) Then He said, "From makeup." I said , "Lord , you're kidding.....right?" He wasn't. I said, "Not my mascara, Lord , surely not that. Right?" Mascara too. 3 days. Offer it up in reparation for your vanity and that of the world.
Well, I did it folks. Hardly batted an eyelash either (wink).
On a more serious note: the Lord used these three days to heal a deep hurt from my childhood. Spiritually, He showed me why I started wearing makeup in the first place. When I was thirteen or fourteen (shortly after my confirmation) I was brutally beaten up by a school bully. My face was bruised and my eyes were blackened. I had to go to school like this for weeks while my face healed. I became an object of mockery to a gang of kids in the school. We were also poor and I only had 1 pair of pants, which I would scrub in the sink each night and then dry. My shirts were hand-me-downs from my sister and my cousin (they had slight frames , mine was medium). As you can guess, this gave them more food for the fodder. My maiden name was Dion and kids would yell loudly in the hall, "Hey Dion, wearing the same pants AGAIN?" or with laughter "Where did you get the black eyes!" And on and on. My poor mother had to look upon her child's face bruised and beaten. This precious mother took ten dollars of our food money, which she really couldn't spare and used it to buy me another pair of pants. I would cry when I got home from school. I thought there was something wrong with ME and the way I looked . Soon after that I started wearing makeup a friend's sister had given me. It was like a mask I wore hiding the real me underneath.
During the 3 days that I fasted from makeup , the Lord healed my self-image and showed me how HE saw me. He made me feel beautiful inside and I could feel Him smiling at me. The makeup was just another fig leaf I used to cover the wounds that I should have brought to Him.
I have nothing against makeup, I still wear a little when I feel like it but I don't need it.
Thank you, Lord for healing me.
Did you see my pondering pages from a few weeks ago? There is a great book called "Choosing Beauty" by Gina Loehr that talks about fasting from makeup. You might like it.
ReplyDeleteNo, I didn't see it. I was on vacation last month and didn't get much time on the computer.
ReplyDeleteI'll check it out,thanks for the info. I guess a makeup fast is more common than I thought.
Mary, I found it at my favorite library at our local seminary, but I'm sure you could find it online or try a Catholic goods store in your area or even Barnes and Noble. Good luck with the hunt for it, I hope you enjoy it!
ReplyDeletePraise Jesus for the healing. Your story brought back a few of my own. lol
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing!
God bless,
Hi Linda! Isn't God awesome! I noticed when it comes to healing he is working backwards through my life, from adulthood into childhood, instead of forward. May God bless you,too!
ReplyDeleteMary,
ReplyDeleteWow! Thank you for sharing this most personal issue. Honestly, even as a practicing Catholic...I'm often afraid of what the Lord might ask me to give up. I'm ashamed to say that. However, lately He has been calling me to give up "control". Sigh. This is a hard one for me. I fight Him way too much! Thank you for reminding me that there is blessing and grace when we surrender to Him.
Nancy,
ReplyDeleteSometimes I am afraid,too. Though this happened to me, The Lord brought so much good out of something bad in my life.He planted a seed of compassion in me that day that has grown so much. I forgave those who mistreated me and offered up those sufferings united with Jesus' scourging for them. So it was a win/win situation although I didn't think so at the time.