“For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh; but he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.” Romans 2:28-29
Today’s Christian daily devotional
“I got the job!” I can’t stop myself from squealing loudly. In a second, I expect to hear my best friend echo on the other end.
“I’ll get Laura.” The male voice on the other end hands the phone to his daughter.
“Did you get it?” Laura bubbles over with anticipation.
“Yes!” We both shriek simultaneously.
“This is the beginning of your new and glamorous life, Jules!” Hearing her words confirmed the running monologue looping in my brain.
Laura was such a loyal and supportive buddy. She endured countless sleepovers in which I spilled my dreams of one day making it into the big time. I delighted in entertaining her—always finding a reason to give her a an impromptu performance of bad singing and horrible reenactments of my favorite Hollywood films (complete with acceptance speeches, of course!).
The job we were both swooning over was my first modeling gig. Who would have known that such a fabulous opportunity could be buried in the ‘wanted’ section of our local newspaper? This amazing discovery had me grinning from ear to ear.
As soon as I saw the advertisement, I begged my parents to drive me to the casting call. After snapping a few Polaroids, the casting director hired me on the spot.
When Saturday morning came, I woke before the alarm clock rang. I was too anxious to see what the day had in store for me.
Tossing a Pop Tart down my throat, I attempted to apply my makeup. After forty-five minutes of trying to look as ‘natural’ as possible, I bounced down the stairs ready for my father to drop me off. On the drive over, that strawberry Pop Tart settled in my belly like lumps of cement.
When we arrived, the convention center was bustling with women of all ages; this was at the largest beauty show in the Midwest.
“I’m a Rusk girl.” I announced proudly to the woman collecting an entrance fee. She checked me in, printed up an official-looking badge with my name on it and then waved me over to a booth. The Rusk booth was the slickest-looking one I had seen so far. There were Hollywood lights, a red carpet and chic looking black and red posters. I took a deep breath. Oh yes. This was just the kind of glamour I had envisioned myself in…
“Are you Julia?” A frantic woman grabbed my arm. A Polaroid of me from the day before was in her hand.
“Yes.” My stomach twisted nervously, as if I were in trouble.
“You were supposed to be here over an hour ago.” She straightened my collar and started putting a cape around my neck.
“I was told to be here at nine a.m. sharp.” I flashed her my pink swatch watch, proving that I was actually fifteen minutes early.
“It’s no matter. You’re willing to let us do whatever we want, right?” She grabbed a makeup brush from the arsenal of tools attached to her hip; puckering her cheeks in indication that I should do the same.
I nodded, not wanting to create more problems than I already seemed to have caused.
After quickly applying some fake eyelashes, she brushed my clean hair perfectly straight.
“She’s ready!” At the sound of her voice, a rush of employees circled around me, ushering me onto a platform in the middle of room.
“Hello everybody! Welcome to the annual Midwest Beauty Show. We are pleased to introduce our first Rusk model, Julia.” The M.C. with a wild haircut and fabulous shoes perked up the room with her radiant voice.
I was perched high up on a shiny red barber’s chair, my short legs dangling awkwardly. The stylist starts clipping chunks of my hair away.
I can feel my Pop Tart whirling nauseously in my stomach as I watch my long brown locks fling dramatically across the stage. My brain freezes: Am I trapped in my personal version of a horror film? No. The action is live and the terror is actually happening to me.
The crowd gasps; I am speechless. Following the clear instructions by the barking makeup artist I smile without saying a word. My stomach plummets to an invisible spot well below my feet.
The irony was: My insecurity of wanting to please others ended up costing me eight inches of my precious hair. This, in turn, halted my budding modeling career until my locks (and self-esteem) had a chance to recover.
Romans 2:28-29 reminds us that seeking the praises of men never amounts to much in the end. You can never fully trust that other’s will have our best interest in mind. The only one that is worthy of our heart’s worship is the God we can trust our lives with—and He always has our best interest in mind.
“Dear Heavenly Father,
I have made the mistake of searching for praise from others instead of you.
This has led me to make many bad decisions based on the whims and desires of other people that wanted to control me.
Lord, I should have sought the counsel of the One who always has my best interest in mind: YOU.
I can’t even trust myself, because following that path has also gotten me into many bad circumstances.
Lord, I don’t know much, but I know enough to say this: You know best. You know what paths will lead me into health and happiness, and you know what will lead me into discouragement and hopelessness.
I want to be a true follower of Christ and that means that I will follow the leading of the Holy Spirit, trust the wisdom of the Word of God, and take the life of Jesus as an inspiration of the path I am to follow.
I give myself to you—the inner part that I have been holding back this whole time in hopes that you would not require it of me. I see now that it is ALL you have ever wanted.
You are not one to be satisfied with the outward appearance of good, but the inward heart that longs to obey your will. I am ready for that kind of commitment. In Jesus’ name, bless me. I just want to make you happy. Amen.”
Thank you for reading today’s Christian daily devotional on verses: Romans 2:28-29
Please check back and see what we have for you tomorrow!
Author: Julia Shalom Jordan