Does God make mistakes?

Does God make mistakes? It is a question that seems silly to ask because we would all answer no. God does not make mistakes, humans do. I also know that we are made in His image. The bible says so:

Gen 1:27: “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”

God didn’t make a mistake when he created us. We are made in His image, perfectly made and are beautiful in His eyes. But, alas, we are human and with that comes insecurity, pride, vanity, jealousy, envy… all of your common place sins. If we know God doesn’t make mistakes, why can’t we understand that He made us in His image and we are beautiful in His eyes? Rather than show off God’s natural design and beauty, we cover over it with paint. That is like slapping paint on an original Picasso.

In ancient history, only the prostitutes and pagans wore make up and dressed in immodest attire. It was a type of vanity and pride, which as we know, are sins. They would attempt to make themselves more appealing for their trade and/or show themselves as more important in society than others. Some say it was the advent of television and movie stars that caused the explosion of makeup for the whole of society.  We saw them painted to the extreme and became conditioned to think that was ‘normal’ and attractive. (Much like it desensitizes us to other deceptions in life.) In truth, it didn’t take much to sway us to believe that painting ourselves is better because, as a whole, we humans are insecure and see ourselves as less than what God made us to be. Our natural beauty, the unique shape of our eyes, the color of our iris’, the form of our face, our cheeks, and lips… just aren’t good enough to be seen in public. 

Jerimiah 4:30: “And you, O desolate one, what do you mean that you dress in scarlet, that you adorn yourself with ornaments of gold, that you enlarge your eyes with paint? In vain you beautify yourself. Your lovers despise you; they seek your life.”

Not long ago, and for many decades since I was 14, I wouldn’t be caught dead in public without makeup. I couldn’t even run to the store without hurrying to paint my eyes, eyelashes and face. I felt ugly or homely without it. I couldn’t see my natural beauty to save my soul. The same goes for flashy immodest clothes that accentuated what I shouldn’t have been revealing. Essentially, when I revealed myself in that way, I was flaunting my insecurities and sins for the world to see.  (Who knew?)  You see, I always believed in God, I just never believed in me. I never lived FOR God, I lived for ME. THAT was a long worn out road before I discovered the err of my ways.

1 Timothy 2:9-10: “Likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, but with what is proper for women who profess godliness—with good works.”

As I got older, I wore make-up less and less, but not for lack of wanting. I would go ‘out’ with it on, but I could go without it to the store and to run errands. For practical reasons I didn’t always wear it: it got in my eyes, it would run, I was less adept at it, couldn’t see as well, my drive or motivation lessened etc. I began to wear more ‘natural’ make up and less color but still couldn’t go without it. My hair has been dyed since my 20’s, long before it actually turned grey. I always curled my hair because my hair wasn’t good enough. I guess I thought God made a mistake with mine. Ha ha 

At some point, I had decided that I wanted to be alone in life because the alternative was too difficult. I had already been able to step out of the house without makeup once in a while when my mentality was, “Who cares, I am not trying to impress anybody anymore.” That statement alone indicates that in my mind, I feel I DO have to wear makeup to impress someone. However, I always carry that ‘I am less” feeling when I am without makeup and see others with makeup that I think looks better than I do. To this day, I still feel that way, especially the older I get. 

Now I am married. The first part of my marriage, I would wear makeup all the time, even on weekends, afraid somehow I wouldn’t attract him if I didn’t. It always got in my eyes and interrupted my peace and our active lives. My husband would say that I am so beautiful and ask why I hid behind dyes and makeup. He says, “Why not let people see who you really are?” Then he spouts off a pretend bible verse that says something like, “thou shalt not paint yourself and hide your natural beauty.” (Yes, he is a dork and I love him so.) Then he proceeds to tell me that I don’t need all that stuff he thinks I am beautiful without it.  He admires women who have natural beauty and naturally grey hair. He thinks it is adorable that we actually grow old and look it, together.

Why do we work so hard on the outside and ignore the beauty from within? Have you ever seen someone who is plain looking but once you get to know them you start to notice how beautiful they are? I have. What you are seeing is their inner beauty radiate to their face. Please understand that we all have that ability and the more loving, kindness and joy we express the more beauty we possess. 

1 Peter 3:3-4: “Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious.”

And quite the opposite is true as well. I have met those who look stunningly beautiful, but when I got to know them, their vanity, selfishness, negativity or hatefulness could not be hidden behind the paint that they wore. They became ugly and sometimes evil in my sight.  

Romans 8:11: “If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.”

We possess the Spirit of the Holy God within us. Why in this dark world would we think that we need any kind of help beautifying what the Lord made beautiful? We are made in His image, we are beautiful and are to adorn ourselves in modesty. Our natural beauty, though it may take you a long time to accept and appreciate it as such because of the conditioning you accepted from the world, is perfectly made. The more beauty we possess on the inside, the more it glows on the outside. No makeup or hair color can hide the person that you are, so why not work on your internal beauty and trust God for the image that He has made?

I feel a sense of freedom in not being chained to an expectation or image of myself… not to mention how quickly I can get ready for work or other events. J Try it, a little at a time if you must. Go without blank for one day, then another, then another. When you feel comfortable, shed another layer of paint and before you know it, you will like yourself just the way you are. You will appreciate the beauty that God made you and you will learn to work on the inside.