Like any woman, I have always admired those women who are considered ‘natural beauties’ requiring no fuss, no pretension, no makeup. With nothing to hide, they attractively tout perfect skin and hair, even after getting caught in the rain!

However, flawless perfection was not a reality for me. With naturally frizzy (a/k/a p.c. ‘color challenged’, ‘textured’) hair and sallow skin, I quickly learned that adequate preparation and camouflage became my best friends lest flaws and imperfections be revealed. Makeup application became an art form, supplying the artificial external beauty left shy by birth. Cover stick and hair color became staples in my cosmetic arsenal toward creating a desired illusion. Examining myself in the mirror, particularly with each passing birthday, the thought “just don’t get too close and I might pass” frequently comes to mind (maybe if they squint…).

Revealing my ‘natural morning beauty’ is reserved for those who know and love me for who I really am, beyond the surface. It is only in this disclosure that truth can be discovered and authentically exchanged, undisturbed and unlimited by the threat of exposure.

Many philosophies of the world have painted themselves with pretty faces – attractive, full of rationality, promises and solutions. With airbrush and plastic surgery, humanistic worldviews create a facade, effectively hiding the sobering realities of lies and devastation left in their trail. Unwilling to face the stark implications of life void of value, purpose, and meaning and unwilling to give up their self-destructive human autonomy, they move in an illusive world – desirable on the surface, but with emptiness and deceit housed within. The deception is powerful, but when the makeup is removed and the philosophies are laid bare, their true colors are revealed.

In fact, many anti-theistic scholars openly admit that their underlying biases against God directly limit honest pursuit of the truth. Naturalistic philosophies disallow their underbelly to be exposed. They change their look to entice, appease, and justify humanity’s driving passions, and exclude the opportunity to be revealed for who they really are. At the same time, they demean those who promote seeking after knowledge, reality and truth in all of its forms, including the supernatural.

Admittedly, Christianity has historically used masks to cover their own imperfections, but the truths of God stand exposed for all to examine. God has nothing to hide, and in fact invites all to come and know Him. We are called to honestly seek after the knowledge of God that stands revealed, freely accessible. Compare His truths with the world’s and determine which one is trying to prevent full disclosure. Perception is not always reality. Personally, I prefer to live in the light where all can be seen for what it is.