Spiritual lessons from my day at the spa......

Being a woman is rather fun, especially on days like I had yesterday. I am one of those girls that rarely indulges in such luxuries, but I sure do appreciate being pampered once in awhile. Who doesn't? 
First off was simply a trip to my salon for a hair cut. I love my hairdresser, she's a doll! She always makes me feel gorgeous!! At the end of every hair cut, she recommends all the products she used to make my hair look the way she got it to look and off I go. As if I can use all these things to 'maintain' or make me look good. ;)
Next I head to a fancy pants spa with a gift card in hand. (Thanks to my lovely girlfriend, wink wink, you know who you are!) I proceed to the counter and they have me fill out a form, much like the ones you fill out the first time you go to a new doctor. After I turn that in they usher me into the ladies dressing room to obtain my locker with my robe and slippers. Once robed up, I head to the room you wait in until you are then ushered on to your massage, facial or whatever treatment you are in for. There I sat on a plush comfy couch in dim lighting with soft music and candlelight glow, and fabulous smells wafting in the air. A woman came in and gave me a clove scented foot bath, while I read my girlie magazine and relaxed. Not too shabby, I could get used to this! Finally, Samantha comes in, she will be giving me my facial and we walk off to her room together. 
She sits me down and explains what she will do, asks me my skin care routine and I tell her (think bare bones minimum here folks, after all I am a naturalist at heart). She kind of chuckles at me over it, like she knows something I don't know. But I don't mind, I am happy with my minimalistic approach. She then proceeds on with the facial. At one point she takes out a bright light after having put cotton pads over my eyes and proceeds to evaluate my skin, or should I say, look for blemishes (hehe, you all know where this is gonna go). After about a million products and applications, with some massaging mixed in and a mask that peeled off like I was a character from Mission Impossible, the facial was done. I sat up and she told me how much better off I was now that she was done with me, and then she proceeded to tell me I needed to use a moisturizer twice a day. I guess my skin is supposed to feel somewhat 'dewy' all the time. Anyway, she tried to recommend a product the spa sold, so I asked her what was in the product. She said, oh you know just the right blend of humectants. I was aiming for the actual ingredients, but she didn't know. Being that I am a naturalist, I like to know what's in a product I am then going to put directly onto my face, which then in turn will make it's way into my blood stream. But, most people don't even worry about that. I guess if these products only make your skin temporarily soft, they're the bees knees. 
Okay okay, so a little disclaimer, I am not against products, and I am not bashing my time at the spa. It was a much needed and appreciated time for me. But I got to thinking, why do people look at the external problem and then try to fix it externally rather than internally first. I happen to know that good skin and good healthy hair do not come from products. Nor can products ever make my skin or hair whole or complete. No, that must come from the inside out. What I consume, what nutrients go into my body to nourish me are what are going to dictate the health of my skin or my hair. Sure there will be some things externally that can have affect on my hair and skin, but I really think if they are strong from the foundation they can buffer these outward effects. 
It's funny because I have noticed the health of my hair return, from having had a bunch of babies and going through an immense season (like the past 10 years, at least) of stress, to coming into a full understanding of grace and then learning to eat real whole nourishing foods. This past winter was the first winter I did not suffer from dry dry skin, especially on my face. So I knew that I was healing slowly but surely from the inside out. But Samantha, (God bless her sweet soul), insisted she knew better and prescribed a ritual for me to follow to maintain better skin. 
Does any of this sound familiar? As I was writing I kind of pictured myself back at my old church. I remember when I first went there, I was so impressed by all the 'bells and whistles' so to speak of the church. Not long after I started attending I realized people were quick to help you 'better' or 'improve' yourself by pointing out your flaws and offering a regimen to give you the results of external 'beauty' so to speak. The focus is on what people can see on the outside of you. Funnily enough it's in the world too. Wouldn't it be amazing what the implications of living free of our externals/appearances on this earth could really be! People would be free in so many ways (and probably save a whole lot of money too, haha). I just marvel that in this culture the church and the world are constantly getting you to look at your flesh and then essentially writing you their prescription for 'fixing' all your problems..........When will they all know that we have Life on the inside of us, a life that will burst forth through us from within! That's what I long to see break out on this planet, a revelation of our already perfect and beautiful state within that shines brightly through us!!!! That's the kind of dewy glowing face I want!!! :D

Grace, but..........

Today, I remembered just how passionate I am about the beauty of grace. I hadn't forgotten really, I just was reminded that when grace is questioned or attempted to be added to, I cringe, I get all fired up and just have to speak to it. Grace, grace. It is so much more than we know. So much more than we even believe. Our minds have been so conditioned to think we get this great gift, but now we have to give something back. NOPE!! Simply receive..........

There is no grace...but. It's just all grace all the time. That is unless you simply want to go ahead and add a little but. BUT, don't forget if you add a little of anything to grace, mix it, or add to it with rules, laws and performance and behavior modification - it nullifies the grace!! Yes, NULLIFIES!! 

I don't know how you feel about that there word nullify, but me - it's pretty darn serious. Nullified grace, I certainly don't want to make grace void in any way. I want all grace all the time, cause I know I can't ever possibly add to or take away from what Grace (the person, Jesus Christ) has accomplished once and for all. 

No God's free grace is not just unmerited to bring us salvation and then we are left on our own as saved people to figure out this life we need to now be living. GRACE came as a person, fulfilling all the requirements needed to restore right and perfect relationship with God. This GRACE (JESUS) gave up His life, took our lives (think sinful natures, in Adam) and plunged them into the sea of never to remember again. He died as us, not just for us. And we rose as HIM! With His very life dwelling on the inside of us. Permanently united as one. Forever! 

So when you try to tell me that yes there's grace BUT.............. I don't want to hear it. Because how can you possibly take one iota of emphasis off of what Christ has done for me or for you for that matter. He gave you His very life and His very standing before God!! HELLO!!! And how powerful do you think having the very life of Christ in you really is?? Do you think His life in you is not good enough that you need to add that little preposition - but?  

You see my identity is found in Christ alone. That is where my hope in this life lies. That He has become my identity. Now I live this life carrying the Son of God and He will have His way in me. Can you imagine Christ dwelling on the inside of someone and not having an impact in their lives? I can't. It's Christ in me that is my hope of glory, He will carry out what He began in me. That means His life will affect my life and because He is living in and through me, I can live in a manner that is worthy of the Gospel. It's not me trying to live a certain way, or a godly way. I can't do it. BUT - He can! Only He can. So enough of this Grace but stuff people. It's always going to be Jesus performance and not ours. It's His life that matters working out through ours. It's amazing He actually wants to be knit together with us. It's simply part of His character, to be in union/relationship with us. He knows no other way. He longs to be with us. And so God had a plan for Christ to be within every one who believes the very Good News. 

So PLEASE don't tell me again, there's grace yes, BUT! You have no idea how you are nullifying grace when you do that.................Let's not look past grace ever into our what we need to be doing now. Just receive His gift of Life and let Him live it in you. Let's keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, who is indeed GRACE personified!!!!