Posted on Sunday, August 17, 2008 | By Kaye | In
We are living in a world where most things are taken at face value. Where everything that can be seen by the naked eye should be pretty, attractive, up to date- if not perfect. And everybody feels that pressure- men, women and children.
The most basic thing however, which is unique to every person- our face, our features and body type, is being targeted and perverted by the devil. Every one of us feel or is made to feel unsatisfied, in one way or another, with how we look like physically...and in the flurry and circus of all this emphasis on the superficial- people become deluded.
We spend heaps of money in search for the fountain of youth, some people become obsessed with weight management, people go through plastic surgery or play with unnatural products to enhance themselves. Some people get tattoos all over their body, they get piercings, and look gothic... the list goes on and on.
Women, in particular, knows this to be true. It creates an uneccesary need to conform to what Hollywood or the latest trend dishes out to us, for fear of being perceived as 'old fashioned' or had 'let go' so to speak... We are beset daily with magazines and billboards depicting youthful looking women with perfect skin, hair and body ! wearing the latest fashion and nicely made -up. We are bombarded daily with thousands of beauty products and diet programmes and pills, youth serums, etcetera...
Celebrities, ordinary people with good thespic skills, are being idolized by the next generation- regardless of the fact that their lives are not good examples to anyone. Their rebellious and ungodly behaviour is even deemed as 'cool'.
People measure the outward man...and if they do not approve of what they see, they make judgements or make fun of them. We are all guilty of it, we have in the past or maybe even now, we do give in to these things.
We also equate happiness and satisfaction to appearance. We think that we have to look good to feel good, but the fact is vice versa really; and big businesses have built their empire around this false rationale. It is a shameful reality but that is the truth.
We have forgotten who we really are. We have forgotten that God created us in His image. We have forgotten that this flesh is just a shell, a temporary dwelling place.
The Lord chose us to exist, from conception, among the thousands of life trying to get in the egg ( i don't intend to sound crude...please view it from my context ) , God picked you to live. Yes you- complete with all your physical features. God chose how we look like, including our physical imperfections.
Sometimes we are too hard on ourselves:
We often focus all or most of our time, energy and money on the outward man. We always want to fit in with the crowd, we have to be 'pretty' all the time, we have to buy this, that and the other...we feel a temporary 'high' and at the end of the day- Are we really at peace? am I truly happy?
Don't you feel tired sometimes? like a guinea pig on a wheel?
because tomorrow, you have to do it all over again. Put on a face, a lifestyle. You have to keep up with your own vanity.
Oftentimes we are hard on others:
We often measure people by the way they literaly look, or the way they dress, their education, their affiliations, their social status etcetera. We kind of feel 'superior' to those who are inferior. And we do that even without using words...And, how do we make them feel?
They go home and they feel inadequate. They feel mocked, they feel insecure...they feel they are not enough. They feel sad.
And we caused them to feel that way.
It is harsh isn't it?
And that is not how God wants it to be, dear friend. The world, and the people of the world indeed act so foolishly. Truly, His ways are not our ways, the way the Lord thinks is not the same as ours and He looks at us through a different lense too, blog-reader. He looks at us through Calvary...He looks in the inside man, which is the genuine you.
You look in the mirror...you see somebody imperfect, you see somebody who is not attractive, perhaps you've become old...wearied by life, perhaps you are handicapped, or whatever it may be- you deem yourself 'not enough', not 'pretty' ( by the worlds standard anyway).
Then God looks at you...
He see a perfect man, a perfect woman, a perfect child. To Him, you are lovely.
God looks at you and it melts His heart with the purest love- the great Creator, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob-
looking at you - PERFECTION, perfected even before the foundations of the world were laid...
and just wanting to embrace you, yearns to be one with you, friend.
To Him you are His portion. Amen !
You are His creation, the one true love of His heart !
God does not see you as imperfect - he made you just the way you are. He meant, that we all do not look the same, see. He is a God of variety- just look at his creations ! all the animals are unique, every single one have their own beauty and strength. The same with us, friend.
We are the sons and daughters of the living God, amen !
I encourage you to look at yourself and others through Jesus' eyes- do not be disheartened when people measure your outward appearance and cease to do the same- that is utter foolishness. God values us, loves us exactly the way we are and we don't have to be anything else with Him. You are part of Him, you have His light in you, you have His heart. What other beauty can compare with that ? Nothing.
Friend, next time you look at the mirror- rejoice because the beauty that He see in you is eternal. Praise God.
" Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel;
...But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price".
I Peter 3: 3-4
God does not see you as imperfect - he made you just the way you are. He meant, that we all do not look the same, see. He is a God of variety- just look at his creations ! all the animals are unique, everyone have their own beauty about them. The same with us, friend.
We are the sons and daughters of the living God, amen !
Praise the Lord! What manner of love the father has bestowed upon each one of us that we should be called the sons and daughters of God. Created in His perfect image.. Each child of God resonates with a beautiful facet of the living God! God bless you Kaye.. Loved your post!