A subscriber of mine on YouTube sent me a personal message questioning my appearance, and why I wear makeup, jewelry, and
what he thought were fake eyelashes. I'm posting both his message and my reply, to share my conviction on this subject. His message is in italics.
something on my heart
I want to offer you a rebuke and I pray that you will take it to the Lord and ask Him if what I say is from Him.
I actually appreciate the few videos of yours that I've watched
and they have got my mind and spirit going. I find that your knowledge
of Scripture is very sound, and you have made me see things about
certain men I was not seeing before (not having the full knowledge of
their character and past doings) . At least not as clearly as you
appear to be (though I was already having some concerns about things).
I can tell you are very humble and zealous for the Lord and His Kingdom and I admire that very much.
I don't want to appear that I'm setting you up here by saying all
these great things about you and then afterwards slam you with some
harsh rebuke and call you a fake Christian. I'm actually just sharing
with you my genuine thoughts, and I want you to know where I'm coming
from so you don't just think I'm looking for flaws to make myself feel
better. We each must stand before God to make an account for our owns
deeds, but, as you know, if we love one another, we must rebuke and
exhort with all long-suffering.
My rebuke is for your wearing of makeup, earrings, and what appear
to be fake eyelashes. I'm not sure how you are able to justify this
with everything you know and how clear the scriptures themselves are on
this issue. But I know that the Lord frowns on it, even hates it.
Perhaps the Lord will use it to test your own humility when someone
points out your own shortcomings and the need for you to repent of doing
these worldly things. God made us the way He desired us to look, and
we are not being pleasing to Him if we seek to use worldly things to
change our appearance. It's not in accordance with Christian female
modesty to dress yourself up in such a manner. Who are you trying to
look good for? What is your motive for trying to change the way you
look? You are a very attractive women, would you feel right being the
cause for leading a man into sin who may lust after you because of how
you look? Why not rather try and look just as God made you and do all
you can to not be the cause of someone else's fall? Did not our
brother Paul even say that if his eating meat would cause his brother to
slip then he would never eat meat again? Does not true Christian love
and self denial teach us to do all things in accordance with God's
perfection? Let's say the scripture does not even touch on this issue
(which it certainly does) and that there's no harm in it; but what good
could possibly come from it? What profit is there in it? There is
absolutely nothing in it that can benefit you in one single way when it
comes to you and your relationship and standing with God. My whole
reason in typing this proves the negative effect it's having already. I
feel you are a true born again believer who is seeking the kingdom to
the best of your ability, but this one thing distresses me and breaks my
heart, and causes me much trouble. Maybe you're thinking I'm being to
harsh, or that I'm wrong altogether. But I can assure you that it only
takes a little leaven to leaven the whole lump. It only takes a little
lie to destroy all truth. It only takes a small bit of poison in a full
glass of water to corrupt the whole.
I could imagine that if I were a beautiful women like yourself I
may want to be completely veiled as to assure that I would not be looked
upon with lustful eyes. I know certainly that it's not our Fathers
will that we do anything to further aid our beauty and thereby make it
easier for others to partake of the forbidden fruit of sinful thoughts.
Know that I'm not condemning you in this rebuke. I'm not
proclaiming you're lost and I have it all figured out. Perhaps there
are things in my own life that have not been revealed to me as yet. We
need to test and examine ourselves often to know if we are walking the
narrow path. To remind ourselves that though sinless in will, being
human, we could make mistakes according to judgment. We do not have our
glorified bodies yet, and as long as we abide in these fallen vessels,
we are prone to the shortcomings of reason, and understanding, and
action. (I'm not condoning willful sin but recognising that mistakes
are possible)
I pray in Christ that you do take what I've written here
seriously, and see that it was written out of love from a brother in
Christ, to a sister in the same who he dearly cares for.
~~~
Hello, and thank you for your message.
First of all, I'd like to thank you for your kind words regarding
my videos. Also, I appreciate the gracious manner in which you
explained your thoughts on my appearance, which I will now address.
God not only created beauty, but he also promotes beautification.
Notice that when the Lord spoke to Jerusalem in Ezekiel 16, he
described bathing her and anointing her with oil, clothing her in fine
garments, adorning her with jewelry, etc. He BEAUTIFIED her. Her demise
came not because she was beautified, but because she later TRUSTED in
her beauty, and used it to play the harlot. Of course, the
beautification of Jerusalem as a woman is an illustration, but obviously
the Lord wouldn't use something he deemed sinful as a metaphor for
blessing. Also, remember the 12-month beautification process Esther
went through to prepare herself for the king, and how the Proverbs 31
woman makes her clothing of silk and purple. Notice too that the Lord
commanded Moses to fashion Aaron's priestly garments for glory AND for
beauty (Exodus 28:2), and the Lord shall also dress us (his holy Saints,
his Bride) in fine linen, clean and white!
When it comes to makeup, clothes, jewelry, etc., I am not of a
legalistic "holiness denomination." We have a variety of denominations
on every street corner espousing their various opinions, but I know the
Lord. You see, what matters is our heart. When we're dead in our sins,
ANYTHING that was created for good can be used for evil. Is eating a
sin? No of course not, but gluttony is. Likewise, makeup and pretty
clothes aren't sin, but rather vanity and seduction are. When we
receive the new birth, we know how to conduct ourselves in ALL things in
righteousness, because we no longer have evil lurking in us.
As ambassadors of Christ, he teaches us how to properly present
our outward appearance as well. Nowhere in Scripture is makeup
forbidden, and I wear makeup to compliment and enhance my God-given
features, not to seduce men. I have very fair skin and light blonde
eyelashes, and makeup simply adds dimension to my face, whereas I would
otherwise look pale and drained, especially on camera. In regards to
clothing, I dress in what's tasteful and appropriate for my figure and
the styles of my culture, and in nothing I wear do I do so to incite
lust in men.
I dress modestly, but at the same time, I don't let sin in others
dictate my freedom in Christ when it comes to my appearance, anymore
than I wouldn't eat an ice cream cone for fear a gluttonous person might
see me and embark on a sugar binge. Also, there's a difference between
lust and Godly sexual attraction. There's nothing wrong with a single
man being physically attracted to a single woman. God created us to
delight in beauty, and sexual attraction is an obvious factor when
choosing a spouse. I certainly hope my future husband is sexually
attracted to me from the start. I want to be pleasing to him not only
by my spiritual adornment of a meek and quiet spirit, but in my physical
appearance as well.
We don't base our worth in our clothing or appearance, but we
should want to present ourselves properly within the acceptable customs
of our culture. Looking unkempt compared to the standard is just as
distracting as looking flashy. Both come off as rebellious and/or
attention-seeking. Just as vanity isn't spiritual, neither is
diminishing our appearance as a backward form of pride. It may stroke
the ego of a religious spirit, but it doesn't glorify God.
By the way, I'm not wearing fake eyelashes in my videos, lol. They're naturally quite long.
I hope my explanation has helped, and if you have anymore
questions, please don't hesitate to ask. May the Holy Spirit guide us
into all truth.
Sally
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