The Longterm Benefits of Lipstick and Obedience

My mom has always insisted that lipstick is a girl's best friend. According to the experts (and my mom), people pay more attention to what you're saying when your lips are carefully painted a pleasing and vibrant color. My mom wanted her 5th grade students to pay attention to her, so she always had on her lipstick. I want people to listen to me, too, so I try to wear a little color on my lips.

Ever on the prowl for the perfect shade of lipstick, I have way more tubes of the stuff than a girl should. A few years ago I was at one of those brunches we girls like to go to and I'd been admiring the cute little centerpiece decorating the table. It was one of those simple but lovely arrangements you look at and say, "I could make that," but you never do.

At the end of the brunch, the hostess asked all the women to look through their purses and pull out all their lipsticks. 

You know where this is going don't you?  

Well, I pulled lipstick after lipstick after lipstick out of my purse. The women around me were amazed. And the sad thing is, I'd just cleaned my purse out so I really didn't have as many tubes as I sometimes do. But I handily had the most.

And then the hostess announced that whoever had the most tubes of lipstick at each table could take that cute little centerpiece home with them.

My commitment to wearing lipstick had won me a dandy little springtime bouquet, just in time for Easter!

These are the words God gave Moses to pass on to His people just after giving them the 10 commandments. Notice God left the benefits of obeying Him wide open. He simply said things would "be well with you" if they obeyed. 

Sometimes we forget that the consequences of our actions have a ripple effect. In fact, I've heard that a parent's behavior and way of "doing life" plays out in that parent's descendants' lives for an average of four generations. Amazingly (or not so amazingly) that sociological "finding" matches up with what God says in the Bible too! That means your consistent wise choices can potentially cause things to "be well" for your children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and even great-great-grandchildren!

My mom told me to wear lipstick and I generally do. For what it's worth, I'll pass that same advice down to my daughter (although her perfectly cherry "Angelina Jolie lips" don't really need any help!) and she'll probably be more likely to follow suit simply because she's seen me apply lipstick most every day of her life. The lipstick will come in handy with the stage career she is planning, but it might win her a door prize too if she's lucky. Still, I can't say life will necessarily "be well with her" just because she pauses to color her lips.

But the results of following God's directions in the Bible? Multitudinous! Life will definitely be well. Not always perfect, but well. And who knows just what that may mean in any given life? God's left the definition of a life gone well wide open for a reason. 

It may mean good health. 

It may mean long life. 

It may mean wonderful friendships, lots of travel, 

good food, peaceful sleep, precious memories, 

effective ministry, a godly heritage, 

or a blessed family life.

It may mean you do the right thing because you feel it's good advice and you end up getting way more than you bargained for...