A Makeover....

Her eyeliner was overstated, and the lipstick was just too pink. The foundation she had so liberally applied made her look washed out, fake, and colorless. Pink circles of blush stood out in stark contrast to the even coloring of her foundation. Her lashes were clumpy and thick with the cheap mascara that had been so liberally applied. Bright blue powder arched over her eyes, nearly up to her eyebrows. The beautiful little girl looked strange and cheap instead of glamorous and gorgeous. Her natural beauty was inelegantly distorted by the makeup she had chosen. Instead of enhancing her comeliness, the makeup destroyed it.

I wonder if the Gospel needs a makeover

As I have been reading through The Mission of God’s People, I am struck by the challenge of how we represent the gospel. We as Christians are like makeup for the truth of the Good News. Like makeup, we can enhance the existing beauty of God’s truth and love. We can highlight the subtle features of incomprehensible grace. We can draw out the pieces of mercy that people do not notice. Or we can destroy and distort that beauty. We can use fake words to cover our own insufficiencies, and bright colors which only serve to draw attention to ourselves. We can make the gospel appear hideous and cheap, in contrast to the genuine and valuable treasure that it is.

I contemplate whether the color of my speech has well adorned the lips of the gospel. Have I fought so hard to conceal my own blemishes that I fail to step aside, and let the perfection of Christ’s finished work be seen?   Have I become those misapplied circles of pink on the cheeks when I’ve distorted the gentle blush of the truth with my own perspective? When others search my eyes, do they see genuine compassion and mercy, or do they see a flashy attempt to draw attention to myself?

And so I wonder…

Do I look good on the gospel?