Is "pretty" unholy?

Someone who used to go to my church once told me that women shouldn't wear make-up--or even lipstick--to church. I was shocked.

In my Wordpress blog post "In the 'kikay' of the beholder," I wrote that looking well-put together is my way of honoring God as my Father. In his bestselling book "Your Best Life Now," Joel Osteen said that how we present ourselves in our personal appearance is not just a reflection of how we feel about ourselves. It is a direct reflection on God. I liked the way he drove home the point. As a father of two, he knows that if any of his kids would be seen looking unkempt, people would probably say "What kind of a father would let his kid go around like that?"

A final check before walking out the door

We serve a God who loves works-in-progress. It's as simple as that. Let's say you walk past a shabby garden, won't you feel bad that the owner doesn't even bother to prune the trees, pull out the weeds, and water the plants and flowers? Of course you'll feel terrible, because it's such a waste. You'll feel bad because we're called to take care of what we've been given. The same goes for our body and appearance.

As we work out to get healthy and toned, we're pruning trees of dead limbs. When we apply sunblock and moisturizer, we're protecting our skin like it's the softest, most fragile of petals. When we go for a wax... Nah! That's too graphic, not to mention a metaphor overkill.

You have to strike a balance, though. Ecclesiastes 7: 18 tells us to "avoid all extremes." I must admit that there's a very thin line dividing vanity and excellence. It all comes down to your motivation. A preacher once told me, "When confused about something, ask yourself this: 'Why do you do the things that you do?'" It's interesting that the best advice I've ever gotten so far is actually a question.

Does prettifying herself make a girl unholy? NO. What makes it unholy is what you're doing it for. In my case, I work with what I have, showing my appreciation to God by taking very good care of it, and more importantly, strive to be a better person each day. After all, Proverbs 31: 30 says, "Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised."