| July 2005 Devotion |
Idol Beauty Last night I watched "Average Joe" on television. The show takes "average" looking men by the worlds standards and sets them up with a beautiful woman. After the average looking men have had the opportunity to get to know the beautiful woman, the produces bring in a new set of guys, called the "hunks". They do everything they can to win the girl and in the past few seasons, the Average Joe's have walked away broken hearts. The show last night introduced the hunks. One thing that struck me as I watched was their obsession with their looks and their attitude toward the average men. They posed and checked the mirror over and over. They talked about how they were so much better than the other guys because they had better bodies and because they thought they were handsome. One man even proclaimed, "beautiful people want to surround themselves with beautiful people." I was shocked at how ugly they became to me. They appeared far from beautiful. Over and over I thought of how kind the average group had treated the young lady. How sweet and tender they had been, not all but most. I thought of how these young men, had learned to develop their character, while the hunks had learned to develop their body. I found myself rooting for the average guys and hoping that the hunks would be exposed for who they really were... empty, shallow, and mean. One group had obviously made their body their idol. "You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments." Deuteronomy 5:8-10 An idol is any object of ardent or excessive devotion. Idolatry is excessive devotion to or reverence for anything. To idolize is to love or admire excessively. These men loved their bodies to the extreme detriment of their souls. They spent far to much time looking in the mirror, slamming their opponents, and praising themselves. They were prideful and arrogant. Their words, and behavior made them ugly, shallow men. I wonder how many of us are walking a dangerous line between caring for our bodies and idolatry? Are we spending too much time thinking about working out, or worrying about how we look to the point that we ignore what is truly important? Are we balanced and realistic in how we view our body? Are we being too vain? Do our insecurities overwhelm our thoughts? Are we constantly comparing ourselves to others and judging by what we see? Would we rather exercise than spend time reading our bibles? We have to evaluate honestly where we are in this journey. My goal in life is simple. To grow up in Christ. To have His character. People may look at me and initially see a middle aged woman, with an "average" appearance, but when they get to know me, prayerfully, they will see the image of my Jesus, and the beauty of His glory reflected in me. Until next time... Your Sister in Christ...CJ For reflection: Where are you on this journey? What is the impression you want others to have of you? Do you want to be known for your outward appearance or your inward glow? |
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