I don’t remember what she looked like. I can’t quite place her voice. I have no idea if she arrived on a schedule or rang the bell unannounced. But I remember my mother’s mood when the elusive woman came to visit.
Her Avon lady.
She made my momma happy.
I can still picture my mother painting stripes of lipstick on her hand, comparing hues of pink or red. I recall her glee when the lady delivered white paper sacks filled with goodies—nail polish bottles, lotion tubes, and sometimes sparkly lip gloss, a special treat for us girls.
My sisters and I were little then; we had no clue about cosmetics or perfumes. We couldn’t tell a musky scent from a floral or a fuchsia from a rose. We just knew our mother wore them, because we liked to sit on the toilet seat watching as she “put her face on” before the mirror every morning or on evenings out with our dad.
In my eyes, my mom was the most beautiful woman in the world.
And sometimes now as I raise two daughters of my own, I wonder if they think the same thing about me.
How could they? I mean, can’t they see my flaws? The wrinkles on my forehead, the eyeliner smudges, the annoying blemish that sprouted overnight.
Yet they never mention those things. They look up to me and smile, tell me I’m pretty. They ask to smell my Moroccan Oil. They apply their own tube of Burt’s Bees Lip Shimmer because they know I wear it, too, and it’s the only makeup I’ll let them wear in public.
They think I’m beautiful, and they want to be like me. Just as I thought of my own mom growing up.
Things have changed, I mean, I don’t have an Avon lady making house calls (who does anymore?) but I do have friends who supply my Rodan+Fields, my Serenity blend, and my occasional Noonday fix. We have a lot more options these days.
Yet one thing has not changed. Women want to feel beautiful. And they should. Why? Because our God designed each one of us, and He does not make junk. He created us in His image, and He is the most beautiful Being in all space and time. Therefore, we are beautiful, too. Because we reflect the Creator.
What lie have you been believing that says you’re not lovely? Not loveable? Not fearfully and wonderfully made?
Let me remind you today of who you are.
You are a child of God.
And that makes you awesome.
“You are altogether beautiful, my darling; there is no flaw in you” (Song of Solomon 4:7).
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I’ve started a new Facebook group for women like you and me, meant to inspire inner and outer beauty. It’s called “mind+body+Spirit” and you can join the group here. I’ve invited some of my friends to post news about products and services designed to help us take care of ourselves—which is easy to neglect when we’re so busy taking care of other people, amen? This group is meant to unite women merchants and customers and to become a space where we can support one another toward the common goal of self-care and confidence. If you are a woman in business intended to serve other women’s health, wellness, cosmetic or apparel needs, you are welcome to share your products as well. Together we can reflect the beauty of an amazing, glorious, magnificent God.
He is beautiful.
And we are His.
Blessings,
Becky
P.S. Watch for an exciting invitation coming in a special blog post this Thursday! If you’ve been feeling like a crabby pants in your own house and snapping more than smiling, you’re not going to want to miss this. Seriously. I’ve already said too much! Eeek!!