Wrinkles and All

I'm on the backside of my 40's now, but I still feel like a 20 year old.  Well, that is, until I spend some time with some actual 20 year olds.  20-somethings dominate the makeup of the crossfit bootcamp I'm attending.  I can't compete.  They treat me like the mascot or the team mom.  Even so, I think they like me.  "You can do it Mrs. Lori!  Go hard! Be fierce!", they yell (mildly patronizingly) over the din of gangster rap.   They come in to the gym, after tumbling out of bed and doing that messy ponytail thing they all can somehow do... in with sleek glowing hair, smooth silky skin, rock hard  abs, and perky...well you know... 

I look in the mirror and I'm all about damage control.  Hide the gray, tuck the tummy, camo the bags, count the calories.  And If I see another 30 year old with airbrushed skin trying to sell me wrinkle cream I'm gonna throw a tantrum!  C'mon people she hasn't even had her first hotflash!  

Uuhhummm, Excuse me, I'm getting a grip... I was asked the question recently, whether I would opt for plastic surgery like liposuction, face lifts, breast lifts, anything lifts... when the time came...if money was no object.  Did I think there was anything wrong with it?    Truth is, I don't know.  Mainly because with two kids in college, money IS an object. I think it would matter a lot about motive... And then there's the fact that I'm deathly allergic to pain...  Right now I'm honestly just learning to deal with basic issues like I mentioned.  Nothing a bottle of hair dye and some spanx won't solve.  And I honestly resent the unattainable standards the hollywood elite have created for us mere mortals, without a team of doctors, trainers, chefs,  and stylists to keep us from the evil effects of gravity and cell damage.  

I'm so glad the Bible is not silent about issues like this that women deal with.  I Peter 3:3-6 is a passage that reminds us of a beautiful woman named Sarah.  Her story from Genesis tells, she was in her 80's and still so beautiful she had to wear a veil just to keep rival clan leaders from trying to run off with her!  She had cultivated her inner beauty and it sustained her outer beauty.  She did not overly rely on grooming techniques she learned on the "Hair and Beauty" feed on Pinterest.  She made herself attractive by developing a character that radiated with gentleness and pure grace, born at times from pain, loss, and hard knocks.  She was serenely confident, even when her husband let her down.  She was un-bending to the fear of not getting her needs met.  She communicated respect.  I love how that translation says she was "beautiful before God that way".  Even though the Bible doesn't sugar coat her failures:  she laughed in God's face, manipulated her husband into committing adultry with an employee, and mistreated her step-son.  Yet, with all that failure, her life was characterized in scripture as "Holy".   That is the redemptive, beautifying nature of a love relationship with God.  

The transforming nature of sanctification keeps your youth renewed (Psalm 103:5) and your face radiant (Psalm 34:5).  

What's your biggest "worry" with the lady in the mirror?  Or what about the face reflected in the mirror of God's word?  (James 1:22-25)  

Remember, beauty is fleeting and charm is decptive... But..

"Your Royal Husband delights in your beauty, Honor Him for He is your Lord."

Psalm 34:11

He is "A shield aroung me, my glory and the lifter of my head."

Psalm 3:3

Hold your head up, and reflect His glory, my beautiful friend,

a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised... Psalm 31:30

"It's better to be an original masterpiece, than a pretty good copy of someone else's ideal".  Just take a look at God's plan for perfecting you in Ephesians 2:10.

Comments

[Margie]

I can't keep up with the changes I'm experiencing with my body - not only in the way it looks, but the internal aches and pains that I never had before. It's something that I carry around with me, but don't really recognize. But, when I stop and look into my eyes, really look into my eyes,I recognize that girl who's looking back at me, possibly for the first time ever in my life. Maybe this is what feeling comfortable in my own skin feels like, regardless of what the package looks like. Hmmm.

[Lori Frank]

I love it "D"! I hate those aches and pains for you... I guess it's part of life. Glad you are not letting it slow you down. I love that you can see the young face in the mirror! That is the mark of true maturity, not just age;))) Thanks for sharing.