The rain poured around me, gently brushing against my face, yet fiercely clinging to my hair. It's such a short walk from my dorm to the BHC, our main academic building. Still, the rain had its mindset on playing with me for as long as it possibly could. I pulled my coat tighter around me to block out the wind. Rain I could handle, wind is an entirely different creature. 


In a matter of moments I was settled happily at a small table in the coffee shop, coffee in one hand, Mere Christianity in the other. Yes. It is going to be a beautiful day. 


The Challenge: 
Day 2 has come and the challenge is living up to its name and being a challenge. I'm learning more about myself than I thought. Truth be told, I do depend on makeup more than I had originally hoped. Evidence? After I had gotten dressed I stared longingly at my makeup bag thinking, I wish I could be pretty today. I guess I'll have to wait till saturday. 


It was then that I was hit, once again, by how focused on my outward appearance I am. I'm even tempted to think that this has been a struggle for much longer than I have realized. There has been so many other, far important things, in my life, that I never stopped to think about just how much time and thought is spent on what I look like. 


Please note: I am by no means saying that girls shouldn't ever care about what they look like, and that they should only walk around in sweats and a t-shirt all day long. The idea sounds appealing, but personally, I'm a fan of dressing up nice and looking like a lady (I mean, you kind of have to be to go to a school that requires business casual from 8am - 5pm ;) :)). So this is not a call to leave your appearance in the dust.... as a matter of fact, this isn't really a call at all. It's just a slight nudge. 


How many mornings do you wake up and sift through clothes trying to find the outfit that will make you prettier than the other girl? Or even prettier than you were yesterday?


I must say, one perk of this whole no makeup thing is that it takes me 2 minutes to get ready (if I have to), whereas before it would sometimes take 5 minutes not to mention those mornings when I really took my time and got ready in 10 minutes! ;) :)

Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious.