“For as he thinketh in his heart, so
is he...”
Proverbs 23:7
I once came
across a humorous image of a snail next to a tape dispenser. And this was the
caption:
“Wow! I think you went too far with
the plastic surgery.”
Plastic
surgery is a reality in our current society.
“Of the 1.7 million cosmetic surgical procedures performed in 2015, the top 5 were:
Breast augmentation (279,143 procedures, down 2 percent from 2014, up 31
percent from 2000)
Liposuction (222,051 procedures, up 5% from 2014 but down 37 percent from
2000)
Nose reshaping (217,979 procedures, unchanged from 2014, down 44 percent
since 2000)
Eyelid surgery (203,934 procedures, down 1 percent from 2014, down 38
percent since 2000)
Tummy tuck (127,967 procedures, up 9 percent from 2014 and 104 percent
since 2000)”
“Annual
plastic surgery statistics reflect the changing face of plastic surgery,”
I’ve heard
of procedures like nose and breast jobs given as gifts for college and even high
school graduations. It’s also not uncommon for young teenagers to be given
these “gifts” for their sweet 16 birthdays and quinceañeras.
This
troubles me.
I’m
not here to shame anyone about their choices, especially concerning physical
appearance. I know, firsthand, it can be a cause of much torment and misery.
Yet,
it’s disturbing to see just how often major health decisions to under surgical
procedures are based on short term thinking. Decisions are made according to
the photo-shopped, untrue and harmful, constant images we are bombarded with on
a daily basis.
And,
the root thought, often driving the entire thing is...
“I am not acceptable like
this.”
Beauty
estimations in this culture are bad enough.
But
value and worth assessments? That seems to be the more insidious pressure,
influencing decisions.
And,
when it comes to many impressionable young people, unfortunately, there doesn’t
seem to be an awareness of that agenda.
“For what I am doing, I do not understand...”
Romans 7:15
Indeed,
ignorance is neither blissful nor harmless...
“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge...”
Hosea 4:6
Part
of the harm includes the self-rejection which, all too often, is the norm.
“Do not be
conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that
by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable
and perfect.”
It
can be easy, with subtlety, to find each of us, in one way or another,
“conforming” to the culture’s image.
“The LORD knoweth the thoughts of man, that they are vanity.”
Psalms 94:11
It
does have to do with priorities and value systems. It is a heart issue.
“Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of
it are the issues of life.”
Proverbs 4:23
And,
concerning the Divine, there is a dramatic difference concerning physical
appearance estimations...
“‘…the Lord sees not as man sees:
man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.’”
1 Samuel 16:7
With
that being said, it doesn’t mean the Most High views any of us as ugly
creations. Quite the contrary, in fact...
“O my dove…let me see your form…for your form is lovely.”
Song of Solomon 2:14
We
would do ourselves some gigantic favors in embracing, not rejecting, our
inherent value, which, yes, does include our physical bodies.
“I
will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made…”
Psalm 139:14
Unfortunately,
an unflattering reality built within this culture is that of instantaneous
results and impatience. We want everything, so-called “perfection” included, delivered
effortlessly, right this second.
Yet,
life doesn’t work like that, much less, the Most High God...
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my
ways, says the Lord. For as the
heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My
thoughts than your thoughts.”
Isaiah 55:8-9
We
would all benefit from asking questions of ourselves...
Why am I doing this?
What do I believe will
happen if I look a particular way?
What pain am I experiencing
and trying to heal?
We
need to challenge the “solution” offered to us, via image.
We
need to remember we cannot add to our value or earn our worth and salvation.
All are given and dependent upon the Most High.
And,
one more thing. Back to the snail, as it faces the tape dispenser.
The
inanimate object is the instant promise of perfection and all happiness
achieved.
But
the snail?
“By perseverance the snail reached
the ark.”
Charles H. Spurgeon
Well,
the unfolding truth of the matter involves the steady, ongoing and yes, painful
process of becoming more fully who we are.
There
is nothing instantaneous about that process.
“But we all, with
unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being
transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of
the Lord.”
2 Corinthians 3:18
But
the rewards are beyond our comprehension.
“But as it is written, ‘Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard,
neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared
for them that love him.’”
1 Corinthians 2:9
Let’s
have that image in mind instead of any plastic one!
Copyright © 2016 by Sheryle Cruse
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