I awkwardly steered my overloaded shopping cart into a checkout aisle and patiently waited for the line to dissolve. Grocery shopping always exhausts me. Maybe it's because I wait until we are scrapping the cupboards for breadcrumbs before I head to the store, forcing me to create my own mini-Everest inside a shopping cart. (New Year's Resolution #317: get better at meal planning!) I leaned against the cart as I waited in hopes of catching a second wind when my eyes met the sleek, outspoken magazine covers glaring from their shelves.Oh those glossy, air-brushed faces begged for me to look, admire, and compare. Their hair, skin, eyes, complexion, curves and clothing (or lack thereof) seeped with a perfection I obviously lack. And not only did they assault my vision with the silhouettes of modern attraction but they also tempted my reasoning with vain promises: "Loose 10lbs in just 10 days!", "Ways to look younger in minutes!", "The body he dreams of!", "Tame your tummy!" and much, much more disgusting propaganda. It was here amidst my innocent quest for carrots, sour cream, and dishwasher detergent that I realized, perhaps with more consciousness than I've had in a while, that our culture is entirely obsessed with superficial beauty. And it's slowly corrupting us.
Almost everyday we are forced to decide between valuing and gravitating toward worldly attractiveness versus a holy beauty. We obviously recognize what the world considers beautiful. Go to the mall and look at the mannequins or stop by your local convenient store and pick up a magazine. Or better yet, observe the confused and insecure young women speckled across our nation who find their identity and value by how closely they can imitate the women plastered across those magazine covers.
Worldly beauty always flaunts itself -- so it's easy to spot. At it's core it is selfish and arrogant. "Just look at me" it demands. And with enough make-up, hairspray, designer clothes, and maybe even a little surgery (or at least a good editing software), you could attain to this fickle description of beauty. Yes, this paragon may turn a few heads, but their fascination will travel only as deep as your bronze-tinted foundation.
In the end, physical beauty (which is all the world seems to value) doesn't last. All the wrinkle cream, anti-age scrubs, and hair color in the world can't dilute the truth that physical beauty fades. "Charm is deceitful, beauty is vain..." (Prov. 31:30) But this is no cause for panic (so take a deep breath). God has an entirely different purpose and measure for beauty -- a beauty that speaks of permanence and holiness instead of shallowness and vanity.
(To be continued...)
SO true and SO what I needed this morning!!
ReplyDeleteLoved this post! Glad you are back to writing! :-)
ReplyDeleteIt's kind of sickening when you look at all those worldly magazine covers. So sad that so many think that is really living. I'm so glad that God isn't shallow.
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Kaysie!
ReplyDeleteI recently listened to a sermon by Josh Harris, in which he talked about the brevity of life, how we need to be humble and live for what truly matters. He talked about how we will all turn back to dust in the end, and all the anit-age creams and oils can't stop that, except maybe make for a creamier, oilier pile of dust in the end. Okay, that sounds a little gross, but you get the gist of it. :) Beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears Yaweh, she shall be praised!
Looking forward to the continuation!
WOW! And this guy thinks you are beautiful. Like I had said in a previous post, your beauty comes from within and it is refreshing. Those magazines also temp us guys as well. They set themselves up as the IDEAL the Aim and act as if this is what GUYS like. Well girls if you look like that girl on the cover of any of them checkout magazines this guys does not think that is beautiful. :)
ReplyDeleteWELL DONE Kaysie, I secretly despise you for being able to ZAP out great posts and I have to WORK hard at mine. :)
The world belongs to you! My life is on the closing in now. Right now, I am trying to stay positive because of the changes that just took place in my life over the last 2 or 3 days. However, to be really honest, I do enjoy looking at pretty women. But the point you make is right. Inner beauty will last a lot longer that phyical beauty.
ReplyDeleteOn another subject, I just had a poem published in a news letter of a society I belong to; and I also like Barns and nobles.!!
I traced this web sight from Sara Nicole Smith blog: Simply sanctified.
As I mentioned earler, I see the Horizon in the future. My life is on the downward slop. Sometimes the pain of my loss gets to me where I just want to join my family Then I realize the world is still put there.
YOU can make a difference The future is YOURS! As Q$ueen Ester was told, you may have come here for a time like this. I feel you will achieve great things in life and make a difference.. You will be a queen for the Kingdom of God. REmember to seek the Lord and pray about your poetry and other writings like books ects.