Skin Care In Prayer

Charm is deceptive and beauty fleeting; the woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.

Give her a reward of her labors, and let her works praise her at the city gates. // Proverbs 31:30-31 (from Readings for Memorial of Saint Jane Frances de Chantal, religious)

I had scooped out everything I could from the empty container that promised to give me long-lasting hydration and dewy skin. Washing my face with cold water and following up with my favorite skincare routine made me feel more ready to take on the day than a face full of makeup. The empty jar stared at me, forcing me to make a decision to either buy a new one or ditch it altogether. I accepted the challenge to forgo it. Afterall, Lent was approaching and I really wanted to offer something that was deeply personal to me. 

It was bleak not to see my favorite skin care products waiting for me in my medicine cabinet every morning. I knew these items held empty promises; however, I missed opening the pretty containers, smelling the familiar scent of the creamy moisturizer, and applying it to my face. 

Reaching for a pump of regular body lotion wasn’t the same feeling as my boutique apothecary glass jar. The layers of smooth silky cream made me feel complete, and, while I never considered myself a vain person, having a nice skin care regimen gave me great joy.

Saint Jane Frances de Chantal, whose feast we remember today, once wrote: “To be faithful, we must live simply. Then being free from attachments, we are possessed by nothing. We live in such absolute openness to Divine Love that whatever pleases God becomes our heart's desire” (source). 

Eliminating my pricey skincare routine was a muscle I needed to exercise, as futile as it may seem. Our interior lives may be marked by many tiny insignificant workouts like this with the hope that we may live out the words of Saint Jane Frances de Chantal. 

Sister, how can you live more simply in the pursuit of holiness? Is there something small that you can start with? Today in prayer ask Saint Jane Frances de Chantal to intercede for you to do this very thing.