Me a Jezebel??

After I blew-dry (?) my hair this morning, making the special effort to arrange my bangs with my fingers instead of a round brush per instructions from a hair stylist, I then applied a touch of eye shadow, a narrow line of charcoal eye liner, and some mascara. Then I smoothed on a light coat of ivory foundation and some blush. This, by the way, is a morning routine that I've engaged in with very little exception or variation for years. My mother wore make-up, and she was my primary role model; ergo, I wear make-up. I can picture her right now as she sat on a little stool in front of a lighted make-up mirror making herself presentable for the public. Let me change that to "more presentable" because she was a pretty lady without much need of embellishment. Still, she was a girlie girl and a great act to follow...or try to follow.

Back to the story. This morning as I was carefully applying my Mary Kay garnet frost lipstick, I had a flash of insight. "Oh my gosh, I'm a regular Jezebel with my coifed hair and painted face!" While she is far from being a woman greatly admired in the Bible, she is definitely one who can teach us a lesson or two. I don't think there's anything wrong or immoral with enhancing one's appearance. In fact, I think God delights in our taking care of what He gave us and in "prettifying" His creations as much as possible. To me, it shows respect for oneself and for all with whom we come in contact.

At the same time, there are a couple of lessons from Jezebel that are on my mind this morning. #1. Sometimes a person can cross the line and become so obsessed with physical appearance and beauty that she will resort to cosmetic surgery, expensive cosmetics, and extreme diet and exercise to look a certain way. These things are fine if not done to excess. Get your nose fixed, whiten your teeth, buy the age defying lotion, and pay attention to your diet. Just know when enough is enough. #2Jezebel's major downfall, in my opinion, is that she put Baal first. Yes, I know you don't worship Baal, but couldn't he be symbolic for any and everything that you put in front of God? It could be a car, a job, a relationship, a house in the Hamptons (just wanted to include that because I've read it so often!), sports, a hobby, tons of clothes and shoes, physical appearance, and a fat bank account.

So back to my insight while applying the garnet frost lipstick. Yes, I am a modern day Jezebel...or I could easily become that way. Since I don't want to be thrown from a window by my servants (ha ha...me with servants?) or devoured by dogs, I'm going to keep a closer watch on my thoughts and behaviors.