Heart and Lips

2/26/2021

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.”

As I was getting ready for work this morning, I barely recognized the woman looking back at me from the mirror. Her signature red curls are slowly being replaced by silver ones, and there are more lines around her eyes. Other than a little boost to her eyelashes, her face is lacking its usual artificial coloring. You would think I would have grown accustomed to this new woman after a year of her staring back at me every day, and I guess I have. This morning, though, the one thing that hit me was my lips.

You see, I have been a lipstick girl ever since I discovered that it brightened up my pasty complexion many years ago. I never really left home without it. Ever since last year’s Covid-19 lockdown, and subsequent mandatory mask wearing, it has become unnecessary and even unwise to wear lipstick. I have put some on for a few Zoom meetings, but those times were few and far between. With most of our faces covered for the foreseeable future (at least according to Dr. Fauci), makeup has – for me at least – become mostly a memory. Believe me, I NEVER thought this would happen.

It has become one of my lessons during this time. My focus has been mostly drawn from the external to the internal. Now, I am by no means saying that you should refrain from wearing makeup and gussying yourself up if you are a woman of faith. Some of the most mature, loving, and faithful believers I know are more stylish and put-together than I could ever hope to be. I am just offering a part of my journey to you.

My husband and I have been reading the book of Matthew. As I looked at my unadorned lips this morning, I started considering the passage of scripture from Matthew 12:23-24, where Jesus is rebuking the Pharisees as he says to them, “Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.” Wow, that is some strong talk from our Savior, however, He always spoke truth. He is truth. 

As I meditated on these words, I was struck that what passes through the lips is what the heart is full of. Not only were the Pharisees rebuked by these words, but so was I.  It is a nuclear truth bomb, and is so evidently pervasive in our society today. All you have to do is watch any cable news program or YouTube video to see this truth. There is a lot of ugly in people’s hearts that is passing through their lips, and it is heartbreaking.

So as a believer, I need to concentrate on the content of my heart. I need to seek the Holy Spirit’s guidance and repent of my sin. I need to always remember that I am an ambassador of the Gospel of Christ. It doesn’t matter if my lips are pale or a bold hue; the most important thing is what flows from them. My words should honor my Savior.