The Make-Up Palette of Life

"For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others; for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness; and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone." -Audrey Hepburn

I got a lot of wonderful gifts for Christmas; my family and friends definitely outdid themselves this year, and I feel beyond blessed. One of my gifts really stood out — probably because I didn't ask for it, but when I opened the package, I was overwhelmed with excitement, reminiscent of that childhood surprise talked about in the previous post.

I have never been very good at dolling myself up like other girls around me. I wouldn't call myself a complete Tomboy or anything, but stick a make-up utensil and 3 eyeshadows in front of me and I am instantly paralyzed with fear. The eyelid is a fairly small part of our anatomy, but it becomes this huge canvas when I look in the mirror, and I am completely unaware of where to put what color. When asking some friends how I should do my make-up before a big event, they enthusiastically reply, "Oh, girl! You need to do a smoky eye with a neutral lip color! That will make your eyes pop and really look good with that dress!" Some girls are born with this ability to mix colors and shades and come out with a smoky eye. I, for years, have ended up looking like I came out on the losing end of a girl fight.

My mother, knowing this about me, found this eye shadow palette that — get this — comes with an instructional manual. All the colors are numbered and the book literally gives you step-by-step directions like you are a first-grader opening up your mother's make-up bag for the first time: "If you want a smoky eye, place color 2 on the whole lid and up to the brow bone. Take color 4 and smudge it in the crease. Line your eye with color 7." The only thing that would make this thing better is if a make-up artist came to life every morning and got me ready.

As we all know, it is now 2010. I hope that you and yours had a great New Years, filled with joy and hope for the coming year. I know that I sure enjoyed playing games and laughing with my family. As I was getting ready today, I looked at my make-up palette and wondered, "Wouldn't it be great if I had a palette for how to handle 2010?" I can honestly say that 2009 was such a confusing year, filled with many changes and unexpected detours. I can only hope that 2010 brings some clarity with it.

I have searched the make-up palette up and down, but nowhere in this book does it say, "Don't date Boy 2. That would be settling and your life will go downhill. Add Job 4 to your life and smudge in a touch of Hobby 8 and your year will be great. If you want true love, go to place 14 and sit down at table 5." It just doesn't work like that. Sometimes you search and search for the "smoky eye" you so long for and you come out looking battered, tired and worn. But you know what-- you never give up. Not once did I give up wearing make-up completely because I never achieved the look I was going for. Not once did I skip a party because I didn't have eyes that glittered like Hollywood. It's a process.

In Philippians 1:6, Paul says: "For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus."

In other words, no year is going to miraculously come in which everything falls into place perfectly. We are constantly being molded and changed based on the choices we make without the palette. There will come a day, however, when those good works will be completely perfected — and we will stand before our Maker, the writer of the ultimate instructional manual, and look into his glorious face. And, who knows, I may finally stare up at him with the most beautiful smoky eye you've ever seen. All my love, Ashton