Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.
Galatians 1:10
Our culture is so harsh and cruel. Wouldn't you agree? For example, here is the contradicting message that comes across from fashion, movies, magazines and T.V.:
You must be skinny like a model and starve yourself to keep that way; NO, that is so un-healthy you have to accept your curves! Oh no, that is so fat. You have to workout and eat right and be lean and active, etc.
So many different voices. It's making all of us confused. What is the right way to look? What's healthy? Am I better looking then my sister/friend? Is our society right in the mind?
Walking Contradiction
Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is-His good, pleasing and perfect will.
Romans 12:2
Logically we all know that no one is the same. It would completely boring. But, why do we want it to be so? We long for the thin frame of that actress. The athletic body of that woman in the gym. The voluptuous curves of the woman we saw passing by on the street. Why do we compare ourselves so much? Why do we listen to the media so intently?
Like what the verse directly above says, we cannot think like the world anymore. We have to let our thinking be renewed. There are a million reasons why we listen to the contradicting voice of the world. The one big reason I believe we listen to that voice is because we long to be noticed. To be known for our beauty. To be valued. And for others to see us and admire the uniqueness of who we are. Even though our physical appearance is one part of who we are it is still important.
I've heard so many times, mostly from the Christian community in my teen years and early 20's, that the physical is not important. We must focus on the inside. That is where true beauty comes from. That would hurt and confuse me. Why did God make woman so beautiful? Why have men captured the beauty of a woman's body over the centuries through words, drawings and paintings? Esther in the Bible was said to be beautiful. Job's daughters were described as the fairest in the land. Absalom the son of David had a beautiful sister, Tamar. And so on. There were many beautiful woman in the Bible. So, there are even contradictions in the church.
The one voice we need to listen to is God's. He can see our beauty on the outside and the inside. Now, what we do need to be careful of is using our beauty for the wrong reasons. The world says to seduce men and use your beauty to get what you want. To dress a certain way and move a certain way to attract attention to yourself. What if you let God renew your mind to not let yourself get all the glory but to point to God? What if you took care of yourself, dressed in a way and did everything to the glory of God? You may want to show off parts of your body because you "can." Is that really right? Would you be a walking contradiction? An example might be if you daily dressed in a way that didn't show off more skin then you should yet on the beach you wear just enough to cover what needs to be covered. Do you really think people turn off their lust and thinking at the pool or at the beach? Wherever you go do, whatever you're doing, may it be for the glory of God.
Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.
Philippians 2:3
Whadya' say? Why don't we stop comparing and contradicting and surrender ourselves to Christ. To give up that way of thinking and not look through the eyes of the world at ourselves but to look at ourselves and others through God's eyes. Let's ask God for a heavenly perspective on each other and ourselves.
http://chedva.org/2011/08/10/comparing-children-an-impediment-to-growth/
