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Just a Little Question...
by Francie Snell It was a question I didn't expect Him to answer, but I asked anyway. "Lord, what do you think?" Then He responded in a way I will never forget. I was in my-mid twenties when my husband (at the time) surprised me with a special gift. It was one I had never received before in my entire life: a pampered day at a salon. It included a full body wrap, manicure, pedicure, and facial makeover - the works! My mind soared with anticipation until the day finally arrived. After a few hours of rubbing, scrubbing, wrapping, rinsing, messaging, moisturizing, plucking, I was ready for the final step. The makeup artist assigned to do my face arrived on the scene ready for her appointed task. She began on her mission with great confidence and over the course of about an hour, created her own dramatic rendition of me as a different species. Miss Face Artist caked on a dark foundation over my light complexion, outlined my blue eyes with thick, black eyeliner, and topped it off with a bright neon eyeshadow - I think the color was chartreuse? My heart dropped a beat with every wave of her magic brush. She completed her performance by applying red lipstick and then stood back to admire her creation. She seemed pleased with the outcome of her efforts. Me? Not so much. She probably sensed my ambivalence as she pressed to convince me of her unquestionable success. She shook her head in a stern, motherly fashion, "Oh my," she admonished, "You should ALWAYS do your makeup this way." I wasn't so sure I could share her opinion. Nevertheless, my experience at the salon was complete and so I left and went on my way. Driving home, I questioned what I saw as I glanced at myself in the rearview mirror. IT didn't look like me. Miss Face Artist, with all her expertise, had me doubting my own style. What I saw made me feel uncomfortable. I wondered what the Lord thought, and so I shot up a quick question. "Lord, what do you think?" When I arrived home, I parked my car in the driveway, and then walked through the garage to the door leading to the kitchen. As I reached for the doorknob, a little voice behind me called out with excitement, "Mom! Mom! Look!" I turned around. My four-year-old, James, looked like a miniature chimney sweep as he ran up to me with a great big smile on his soot-smeared, chubby little face. What a mess. "James, what did you do?" With a broad grin and a gallant wave of his arm, he motioned with a "come along, follow me" gesture, then quickly turned and walked. I followed, curious to see what he would show me. He led me to the back of our other car parked in the garage and proudly pointed to its tailpipe. He seemed elated at his discovery, the source of the concoction displayed on his face. He flashed a confident smile as if expecting some kind of praise of admiration. It was a cute event indeed, and I couldn't help but chuckle. I thought about my question to the Lord just minutes beforehand, and the sweetly humorous way I felt He answered it regarding my own makeup concerns. He used my dear sweet little son, in all his innocence, to show me His opinion. I took it that He didn't think too highly of the artwork. I bent down and cupped my hands around my child's dirty little mug. "James, you have such a handsome face, you don't need to cover it up like that". I felt God was speaking to us both. "Hey, let's go in and wash this mess off together, okay?" I took my son by the hand, and we walked into the bathroom and scrubbed our faces clean. It was amazing to think that God was even listening to my off-handed request for His opinion that day on the drive back home from the salon. I felt He gave me a visual answer to my question, and I came away with a new understanding of two things: His opinion of my extreme makeover, and His magnificent ability to orchestrate the course of events. With a gentle brush of comedy, He used my little boy in a way that tickles my heart still to this day. He truly has power over all things. It touches me deeply to know how God cares so much about the little things in our lives, no matter how trivial they may seem to us. He's right there with us in every tiny moment, willing to give us an answer to the most insignificant sounding issue, if we just dare to share it with Him. So, if you have what you think is merely a trivial question, just go ahead and ask anyway. He might surprise you, and even make you laugh. Peter 3:3: "Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight." NIV Francie lives in the Sierra Nevada foothills of California with her husband and best friend. She loves the gift of life the Lord has given her and has a passion to write about it... for His glory. Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com |