Hello Ladies,
I am going to break chapter two of our book study into 2 weeks, because – well it is something all women need to take time and sort through in my opinion. I know I could spend an extra week refocusing the way I have viewed beauty.
The first thing that came to mind as I began reading chapter 2 was Dove's campaign for true beauty commercials. For centuries and throughout every culture women have caved to the accepted standard of beauty. Whether it was tiny feet, long necks, rounded foreheads, nose jobs or boob jobs (as pointed out by Carolyn in this chapter) we have succumb to the temptation to be perfect. Even in today's culture we can see through the willingness of Dove to shed light on this hysteria that no woman is perfect! Have you seen Dove's commercial where the beautiful woman sits in the chair, has her makeup and hair professionally done, lighting arranged and photos taken – only to have those photos digitally altered in post processing? What kind of hope does it give us as women to know that we can NEVER ATTAIN the standards set forth by society?
What should truly concern us more than living up to the unattainable is why do we feel the need to strive for this? Carolyn Mahaney asks "Why aren't we pleased with 'normal'?" Good question. The answer is something I can personally attest to and I'm sure you can too – to some degree. We have bought into the lie: "If you're beautiful, you will be happy and successful. You will be popular among the women, and you will be desirable to men. You will know lasting intimacy and true love. You will be confident and secure. You will be important and significant." (p.36)
Look at celebrities. Gorgeous women and men unfulfilled by their beauty. Beautiful women that we often compare ourselves to have their marriages and relationships fall victim to infidelities. They are not able to attain happiness, lasting intimacy or true love by being beautiful.
I found it interesting and did not know that :
"Nowhere in the Bible are women instructed to wish for, ask for, or strive for physical beauty. Instead, God's Word warns us of the futility and deceitfulness of such a pursuit. Neither does the Bible portray physical beauty as a blessing for those who have it. Instead, it can actually create greater potential for being snared by sin (Prov. 6:23-26).
However, there is a kind of beauty that we are to pursue. First Peter 3:4-5 tells us that our beauty 'should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight. For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to make themselves beautiful.'" (p.37)
It is the propaganda of our culture that what matters most is being beautiful, I'm sure it has been the same for many cultures throughout history. The truth is that this physical beauty is not comparable to the calling for inner beauty that God desires of us. If we work to cultivate a quiet spirit and a right heart we are going to be able to impact lives for the glory of God.
I am going to end the first part of chapter with the "Heart Check" checklist of priorities.
1. Do I spend more time daily caring for my personal appearance than I do in Bible study, prayer, and worship?
2. Do I spend excessive money on clothes, hair, and makeup, or is it an amount that is God-honoring?
3. So I want to lose weight to "fell better about myself," or do I desire to be self-disciplined for the glory of God?
4. Am I on a quest for thinness to impress others, or do I seek to cultivate eating habits that honor God?
5. Do I exercise to try to create or maintain a "good figure," or do I exercise to strengthen my body for God's service?
6. Is there anything about my appearance that I wish I could change, or am I fully grateful to God for the way he created me?
7. Am I jealous of the appearance of others, or am I truly glad when I observe other women who are more physically attractive than I?
8. Do I covet the wardrobe of others, or do I genuinely rejoice when other women are able to afford and purchase new clothing?
9. When I attend an event or activity, do I sinfully compare myself with others, or do I go asking god to show me whom to love and how to do it?
10. Do I ever dress immodestly or with the intent of drawing attention to myself, or do I always dress in a manner that pleases God?
Asking these questions on a consistent basis can help us weed out worldly values and cultivate a heart for God's priorities. (p. 39)
What did you think? Was there anything that particularly spoke to your heart? Please feel free to share your thoughts and commentaries below and engage in discussion.
1 comments:
This one really spoke to me. I do not spend lots of time trying to beautify myself, my problems are more inwards. My thoughts are often consumed with, "I don't look good enough....my friends are prettier than me....if only I looked this certain way...I wish we had more money, etc." Very shallow and silly, I know. My self-esteem has been pretty low my whole life, and I simply have not been relying on God. I am never satisfied really with how I look or what I have.
I have also taken this to another level and making sure that what I wear is pleasing to my husband before I leave. He usually doesn't care, but I ask anyway. I know that I am representing him especially when I go on the Army post. I make sure that I dress modestly, but nicely. Not in sweats...or in low rise jeans so my underwear is not peeking out :)
This really opened my eyes also to how much time I spend elsewhere. Whether it be on the computer or in front of the tv. My focus should be on the Word first, and then homeschooling my daughter or cooking dinner.
One thing that I have always known, but sadly, never really paid any attention to it really stuck out for me was that my body is not my own.
"Your body is not your own-it belongs to God. Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit-your house the Holy Spirit in your own bdy! This should make all the difference in how you treat it. This new understanding of our bodies can change not only what we do, but why we do it."
I will think about this more often not only in what I wear or how I put on my makeup but what I do, eat, drink, and think.
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