Sweet-Smelling Sanctuaries

Tuesday, November 1, 2011 by Melissa Meredith

In my tiny bathroom, there hangs a shelf lined with little lovelies: my go-to nail polish in Ruby Slippers, a jar of eye cream that promises miracles, a tube of lip gloss squeezed inches from its life, and my favorite bottle of perfume. One morning not too long ago, I overslept and, in my haste to tame my mane while simultaneously tweeze the bush that had grown overnight above my puffy eyes, my elbow hit the edge of the shelf.  Did I mention that my shelf hangs directly above my commode?  All I could do was watch as my perfume bottle slipped from its secure perch and – with a splash – sink to the bottom of my toilet. Sinking to my knees, I quickly fished it out and rinsed it off, desperately trying to salvage the sweet smelling fragrance. But it was too late. While the outside of the jar looked fine, my almost empty bottle of perfume was now a full bottle….of toilet water.

Today’s woman faces immense pressure to conform to the perfect physical ideal.  We have become so focused on our outer appearance that we have disregarded our inner sanctum. If we would be honest with one another, most of us would agree that our inner sanctuaries resemble that perfume bottle of toilet water rather than the virtues of a godly woman found in I Peter 3:3-4.

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