*DISCLAIMER* I am not trying to put down the use of makeup. I wear makeup all the time and I am not judging you if you do! Just trying to tie it into my point :)
During a conversation with one of my best friends the other night, we briefly talked about makeup and what we wear (you know, girl talk). It wasn't until later on I had the the chance to be alone with my thoughts, and I started thinking "Why is makeup so important to girls?", "Who even created makeup and why?" After these thoughts haunted my brain I finally turned to google for the answer. Apparently, we don't know why makeup was first invented, but we do know that Ancient Egyptian women would sometimes die from poison just to cover up their "flaws".
That seems a bit extreme right? Poisoning yourself accidentally just for the purpose of looking different. I don't mind makeup. I like to wear a little bit every once in awhile. However, I have recently stopped wearing my normal amount, and have gone 100% Brisa. My friend expressed how she doesn't feel as confident unless she is wearing all her makeup. My heart broke as I heard those words come out of her mouth. When did society start making girls feel like makeup makes them beautiful? It angers me to think that there are so many girls that feel like they HAVE to wear makeup to be accepted.
Every night before bed, the makeup comes off. You take your rag and scrub the layers of "perfection" off you face. Every night you go to bed looking like your TRUE self. It hit me that sometimes Christians do this in other areas in our life. We are afraid to be vulnerable (makeup-less) because we fear that someone might judge us for our failures. We SHOULDN'T have to fear that, but yet we do. Just like girls only go without makeup with their closest friends, we are only vulnerable with those that we are close with. I think being open and upfront with your shortcomings and failures is such a BEAUTIFUL thing. You never know who is going to be impacted or changed by your story. With that being said, I am not trying to indicate that we should be 100% vulnerable with our feelings to every person we meet.
We don't have to walk into an interview with an employer and be like "Hi my name is __________, and I struggle with _________." We simply shouldn't have to feel afraid of it. There is no reason that a girl should be afraid to go without makeup. In the same way, there is no reason for us to be afraid to be vulnerable with each other. I know that there are some things that happen in our past that make being vulnerable really scary. It might take a while to get over that and that's okay!! We all experience things in our own time! I think being vulnerable and helping our brothers and sisters in Christ is so beautiful and I would never want anyone to miss out on that opportunity. Don't be afraid to tell your friends why you have been hurt in the past! They LOVE YOU! I truly believe that God places strong friends in our lives to help us through the worst. Ultimately, God is the best comforter and healer, but he also supplies us with friends that encourage us, let us cry on their shoulder, give us wisdom, and call us out on our failures. Vulnerability is scary, but it's beautiful. To my friends who know my heart, thanks for letting me share it and thanks for being by my side through the worst.
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