The Beautician

My mother went to the beauty parlor once a week. That's what it was called back then. It was a real treat for her, I could tell. Not only did having her hair done make her feel better, but she had time to chat with her friends. In fact her hairstylist became one of her best friends in life. Even after moving far away from my mother, her stylist stayed in touch and visited often.

Going to the beauty shop fed my mother's need to socialize and look good. It was a temporary solution though because she had to return each week.

Recently in a workbook by Beth Moore called BREAKING FREE, I read how Beth was struggling with this season of life. Being in her 50's she lost her best cheerleader, her mother; her two best friends moved away; her daughters were either in college or married; it is new territory for her, much like a desert.

In writing about what it is like in this "foreign land," for that it what it feels like, she writes, "Time is the best healer, but the worst beautician."

Isn't that the truth? Like Beth, I feel like I am in a new season of life without my parents to care for or to cheer me on, without my job, without "things" to fill my day. I know time will help me work through the feelings of grief, but it is not kind to the face I see in the mirror.

Thank God, literally, He does not see me that way. As Beth points out, Christ sees me as His new bride, beautiful in His eyes. The Song of Songs sometimes makes me laugh at the descriptions, I admit (teeth like shorn sheep?).

-Yet I am also humbled by the deep love the groom has for His bride, symbolizing Christ's love for me.

No beauty parlor can provide the kind of beauty Christ sees in me once I accept Him as my Lord and Savior. He is preparing me for being with Him some day.
All He asks is that I walk with Him, read His Word, and submit to His direction.

So I look in the mirror. I think of the beauty parlor. I need to go there. Like my mom, I do feel better after being there. At least for a couple of days until I have to do my hair myself.

Nothing though lasts except for the love of Christ and what He has prepared for us.

What is time doing for you today as you wait? Healing? Taking away? Please, join me today in giving your time to God for the ultimate beauty makeover.