Mirror Mirror On the Wall

Everywhere I look I see this concept that recently has plagued me.

Its on the TV, in books, magazines, newspapers, movies, billboards, other ads, on my facebook/twitter newsfeed... the point is that this concept is everywhere.

What I am talking about is image.

Orthofill Blog http://www.orthofill.com/blog/gap-bands/quick-steps-to-become-beautiful/

All of these media outlets have women that beg us to compare ourselves to them and say their image wins over our own.  Its so sad to the point that it is teaching us the thought process of who doesn’t fit and leads to picking on others.
I remember the first time someone picked on me:
“Isn’t that your sister over there; I wish those genes ran through the family.”
Honestly I can't blame them because its how we have been trained, to hold up examples over others and how we are supposed to match those examples.

From a young age we are trained to be the most beautiful enamoring woman in the room.  Snow White told me that the fairest one of them all won the prince and ruled the kingdom.  Little Mermaid taught me to do anything to fit in with a crowd I wanted to be a part of.  Cinderella told me that a transformation into the beauty of the ball gets the prince’s attention.  Now calm down Disney lovers, I still enjoy these movies, I am just pointing out how the media loves beauty in general.

Upon entering into adulthood you are immediately bombarded with image ideals and if you didn’t learn the lessons of beauty when you were younger, you are considered behind.  There are the obvious signs of obsession with our bodies in the amount of weight loss commercials and the Victoria Secret commercials.  Then you have the commercials where there is a woman with a barbie doll figure and little clothing, and she is advertising a hamburger.  She is literally advertising meat by subjecting herself as a piece of meat.  Miley has gained recent popularity by exposing herself and we keep dogging her but what about the people who advertise it and take the pictures?  Less clothing and seduction is what gets attention.

Switching gears slightly, I want you to think of a woman who you believe is beautiful.
Was it you?
Doubt it. (If it was you, you have great self-esteem, but please feel free to continue to read and walk along this journey and even comment tips.)

Let me start by telling you that you are beautiful; I don’t even have to know you but I can tell without a doubt that you are beautiful.  Here’s why I am so confident in this statement:

Image itself is not a bad thing.  We were made in God’s image and He formed us in the womb.  What plagues us is the human conditions we have put on image.  It has been misconstrued to the point of broken hearts, fallen tears, and regrets.
 "You grew exceedingly beautiful and advanced to royalty. and your renown went forth among the nations because of your beauty, for it was perfect through the splendor that I had bestowed on you , declares the Lord.But you trusted in your beauty and played the whore because of your renown and lavished your whorings on any passerby; your beauty became his." Ezekiel 16:13b-15

Ezekiel is telling us of how we have strayed from God, that we are giving our beauty over to others and literally calls us whores.  We are betraying are creator for worldly image, we are trading are beauty for the world's view.

What God is showing me, and what I hope He is revealing to you, is this: we are mistaking a worldly thing for a Godly thing.  We know God created beauty, but never in the Bible does it define it as a size 2-4, perfectly proportioned, big soft eyed, symmetric-faced woman.  It also never ever calls a woman by slang terms of hot and sexy.  What the Bible says is this:

“You are absolutely beautiful my darling with no imperfection in you.” Songs of Solomon 4:7

“For all the gods of peoples are worthless idols, but the Lord made the heavens. Splendor and majesty are before Him; strength and beauty are in His sanctuary." Psalm 96:6 

Beauty is in his court and these worthless idols they are nothing compared to what He has created in you and has prepared for you in heaven. There is no prerequisite in the Bible of looking a certain way or showing skin in order to get God's attention.  You come as you are and God says that you are his creation and on top that he desires you.   He desires me?! Are you kidding me, that’s the greatest news ever; God wants me and He wants you.  He doesn't require all of this stress over image, he wants you as you are.  Allow this to free you to listen to His voice that is wooing you and forming you, why else would we have the story of Hosea (in Hosea) and how he has to repeatedly win back his prostitute wife?  We are the whores from Ezekiel confused by the world we blindly choose, we are Hosea's wife, and God is still trying to win us back.

SO next time an ad makes you feel like you need to do something, don't get caught up in it.  Realize you were made for more.

"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." 1 Peter 3: 3-4