For the Love of…vanity?  Devotional #10

            Vanity.  The definition of vanity is to have excessive pride especially in one’s appearance.  I am not one of those people that are vain especially not with my looks or in how I dress.  I am by nature a tomboy.  I loved playing freeze tag, basketball, soccer and a lot of other types of sports and games with my friends when I was growing up.  I didn’t really take notice of makeup until I was in the latter part of High School.  But as far as consuming myself with beauty treatments, skincare, full lines of cosmetics, waxing, tweezing…I never allowed myself to get so consumed by any of this stuff because I saw it for what it was, being vain, which was just an extension of pride itself.  Let me be clear, my friend, I do wear makeup and use skincare and do partake in other beauty regiments (lotions, nail polish, hair, etc) but it is, as with everything else, important to have limits.  Just how much is overboard with beauty regiments is different for everyone but is it vain to do it all?

            As believers in Christ we are to take care of ourselves because we are the temple of the Holy Spirit.  In 1 Corinthians 6:19 it says, “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own…”  So, yes we need to take care of our bodies.  Yes, exercise is important.  Yes, some type of skincare regiment is important.  Yes, sleeping 8-10 hours is important.  Does this all sound familiar?  It’s what the media loves to tell us is important but the media, well society as a whole, places a lot of emphasis on beauty and on all the products and services available to take care of the body.  But the question remains, “It is all good for the body but is it really necessary?”

            It took Esther 12 months in total to prepare for the King.  In Esther 2:12 it says,
“Before a young woman’s turn came to go in to King Xerxes, she had to complete twelve months of beauty treatments prescribed for the women, six months with oil of myrrh and six with perfumes and cosmetics.”  She was also placed on a special diet as per Esther 2:9b, she was placed on “beauty treatments and special food.”  So, even back then it was known that special foods or what we call today healthy foods was and still is an important part of taking care of the body.  Also, the beauty treatments were considered important, to the King anyway.

            Did you know that in 2011 there were about 14 million cosmetic procedures performed just in the United States alone, that’s according to www.huffingtonpost.com .  Surgeons made about $10 billion dollars in just the surgical part of the cosmetic procedures.  That’s a lot of people performing some kind of treatment on them.  Should we as believers be buying into all of this stuff too since we are the temples of the Holy Spirit? 

            In 1 Corinthians 10:13 it says, “I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but not everything is constructive.”  So, my take on what is best in taking care of the temple, our bodies, is that if its something that is taking care of the body then do it but if it is not really necessary then don’t.  Going back to the word vanity, if the need to take care of the body is so important and so time consuming that it takes away from the priority of a believer, God being first then it should not be a part of the daily routine.  Mark 12:30, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.”  Exodus 20:3 says, “You shall have no other gods before me.” 

            If we’re not careful our beauty regiments, diet and exercise routine can become idols if we let them.  Going back to 1 Corinthians 10:13, the “not everything is constructive” is huge.  Its important to understand just how much is best and how long it takes to do it.  For some people running, cycling or swimming in the early morning for at least an hour is soothing, relaxing and they feel healthy.  Is that wrong?  Have they taken away time from the Lord?  Not if they made sure that they gave the Lord time in that same day.  How about the skincare, cosmetics, and diet?  Same thing, if the amount of time taken does not take away from time with God then it’s alright.  The question to ask, as with everything in our lives is, “will this be constructive for me, spiritually, emotionally and or physically?” 

            My friend, thank you for taking the time to read this devotional.  I’m praying for you.  God bless you!

 

*If you would like to read this same devotional in Spanish or know of someone that would like to read it in Spanish please visit www.reflejandolaverdad.blogspot.com