Unattainable Beauty

Today I was on my computer playing around on my Stumble bar, and this link popped up and it caught my attention immediately. I have always been aware of just how much movie stars and pop singers and just about everyone else who is in the spotlight at one time or another has posed for pictures that have later been edited and changed, so much so that sometimes the pictures don't even look like the real image of that person. I think it is so sad how much our culture is trying to brainwash women into thinking that they should be a size 2 or 4 or even a 6, and that anything else is not beautiful.

This model (real image on the left) was fired from Ralph Lauren for being overweight. At the time she was 5' 8" and 120 pounds. The right is an image of her photoshopped body

I am not gonna try and act like I have never been the victim of this ploy. It is difficult to live in this culture and not in some way be dissatisfied with something about your body because you see these images and for some reason think it is what is desirable. Well, in a sense, it is what is desirable today. But I can't tell you how many men I know that look at pictures of models and many movie stars and think that they are too skinny. Now, some guys may think that image is desirable, and I don't know how many do or don't, but it shouldn't matter. We are not in this world to please men anyways. We were placed in this world to be in it and not of it, but yet we are so caught up in our appearances that it's not even funny. Just check out this link:

http://www.newsweek.com/id/231629 ...be sure to click on the red "View Gallery" link at the bottom!

I think you will be surprised at how much these

women have been altered, but we look at magazines and pictures and automatically feel like that's what they really look like, and naturally, since they're beautiful, we want to be like them. But the sad part is that these altered pictures display an image of something that really is unattainable. Granted, there are girls that are a size 2, 4 or 6 in this world. I am one of them. But that is not the point. The point is that these women are portrayed as perfect in EVERY WAY. They have no blemishes, cellulite, or stray hairs. They have perfectly even skin tones, toned arms and legs, and even abs that actually go IN. To be honest with you, I have seen a lot of beautiful girls in my life, but none that had absolutely zero flaws. That is the lie they want you to believe. Check out this video as well:

Extreme (Photoshop) Makeover  ....this is a video that shows the step by step process of how photos are edited. It is so crazy to see how each and every one of the changes is made.

The Bible has an incredibly different view on this issue. I'll let God's words speak for themselves:

"Charm is deceptive and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised." Proverbs 31:30

"Your adornment must not be merely external- braiding the hair, and wearing gold jewelry, or putting on dresses; but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God." 1 Peter 3:3-4

"The King is enthralled by your beauty; honor Him for He is your Lord." Psalm 45:11

"...you are precious in My sight...you are honored and I love you." Isaiah 43:4

Don't take this as the rantings and ravings of a dissatisfied girl who is mad because I am insecure about my body and am tired of feeling discouraged when I look at these pictures. No, I'm not perfect. But I have been educated enough not to let my mind by completely infiltrated with this trash. But what makes me the most mad is that all the girls that are growing up in our culture who are uneducated about this issue and automatically believe that those women are real and that they should look like them, even when they are already dangerously underweight. There is such an obsession with cosmetic surgery, diet plans, diet pills, and liposuction that it's ridiculous. Let's stop for a second and realize that this image of beauty is not real, unattainble, and that God thinks we're beautiful because we're made in his image. Let's learn to respect what He has created in us and while we can be health-conscious and eat healthy and excerise to keep his temple holy, we can do it in a beneficial way and know at the same time that no matter what we look like or what size we are, we truly are beautiful in his sight.

wildflowers

It's on days like this, when I look out my window and all I see is snow (in the air, mind you, not the ground) against the ever unfinished dorm next to mine....that I picture myself outside in the middle of a huge field of daisies. They're my favorite, for the record. I will carry them in my wedding (ok, woah, that's way off topic...ha). Anyways, today was absolutely miserable, weather-wise. It was bitter cold and flurrying, and on top of that, the wind was absolutely relentless. Good thing I didn't fix my hair. It would've ended up in a wad atop my head if I had. I literally couldn't feel my face when I got to class...and it's a good thing that it was almost in the 60's last week because they turned off the heat in the psych building. Quite possibly the oldest building on campus. Genius idea. Personally, I would rather sweat than be cold in class. In my dorm room, its a different story because I can cover up with a blanket or something. But seriously, today in class, I barely took notes because my hands were too cold. Not to mention the fact that I was still wearing my coat and scarf so that made it sort of difficult because I felt like the Michelin Man. awesome. Also, it's a good thing that every single one of my classes is in that building. I'm not sure what I would do if I actually got to have class in one of the brand new buildings on campus. But no, us psych majors prefer to stick with the old way of doing things....in the building that might as well be labeled as an antique. Maybe we should sell it and get some money out of it. It might be worth something at this point...

....back to the daisies in my head. I close my eyes, and all I see is green. I am walking in a field filled with daisies, with the mountains looming before me, all the trees thick with foilage. I lift my head, face to the sun, and try to drink in those few moments of bliss before I am yanked back to reality by a slamming door or gust of whistling wind outside my window...ah how I long for the days of summer when I have no worries and my greatest concern is getting a tan or what I'm going to wear on my date that weekend. Summer, hurry up please :)

But even on a day like this, I look around me and can't help but stand in awe of the goodness of my Creator. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. His love knows no bounds. I will never understand why there are so many people, especially Christians, that feel the need, (for whatever reason) to label themselves as "sinners" every day of their lives. Granted, they realize that they are loved and that God's grace abounds, but I don't think that's the way we're supposed to live. I don't know about the rest of you guys, but I know that I am a saint. I may not be perfect, and I may mess up and make mistakes, but my identity is in no way a "sinner." I am Christ's beloved, His child, and He is my bridegroom! I'm pretty sure He doesn't want me telling myself I'm a sinner every day when I wake up. He has already won the victory over sin! That means that I don't have to live in defeat. Yes, I can still appreciate His amazing love and grace for my life, because I am able to acknowledge that I am not perfect and I still need Him, in every moment of every day. I just find that it is easier for me to see His goodness when I am focusing on that instead of my pathetic sins. If I focus on those, it means that I don't think God's expression of love is big enough to cover the sins of my past, present and future. But it is big enough. HE is big enough! Praise the Lord, oh my soul, and all that is within me bless His holy name! ♥

my God's fanatical love

so I've been thinking lately...does the fact that I like to blog make me a nerd? yeah, I think it does. haha but it's okay because I love write :)

On a completely different note, I am reading a new book, "The Ragamuffin Gospel," by Brennan Manning. It is SO radical, and I absolutely love it! It talks all about how we are ragamuffins, are broken, beat up, tired, and weak, and to pretend that we understand God and everything that His love entails would be ludacris. It talks a lot about faith and how it is wanting God and at the same time wanting to not want anything else. Wow! If I could get to that place, where I didn't even want anything other than Jesus, I think my priorities would finally fall into place. In the past I have talked a little bit about the people who pretend that their lives are perfect and that everything is always wonderful, and what a shame that is because if you miss out on the inconsistencies in life, you will fail to see God's amazing goodness and love. Well, I had never read anything of the sort, I just kind of thought of it one day, but then, tonight as I was reading, I came across this:

"There are some real problems with projecting the perfect image. First of all, it's simply not true-we are not always happy, optimistic, in command. Second, projecting the flawless image keeps us from reaching people who feel we just wouldn't understand them. And third, even if we could live a life with no conflict, suffering, or mistakes, it would be a shallow existence. The Christian with depth is the person who has failed and who has learned to live with it." -Brennan Manning

Dang! Preach it brother! haha but seriously, I really feel this to be true. Because honestly, if I know someone who always has it together and nothing in their life ever seems to go wrong, I'm definitely gonna be less likely to share my struggles and problems with them because I'll feel like they're either judging me or won't understand, so I'm wasting my time anyways.

This book also talks a lot about faith, and how real faith is always growing and developing. It can't be stagnant, finished, or settled. If the things that constitute my Christian life and faith (prayer, Bible study, worship, songs, church, etc.) become routine, then they are, in all reality, dead. They are useless to me. So I have been sitting here pondering my faith and whether or not it is actually growing. There are days when I feel as if it is, and that God is really moving and speaking to me. But there are other days when I feel like a mere shadow, and that nothing I do is getting me anywhere, or that I am listening for God's still, small voice but can't hear it over the noise of my everyday life. Man, how do I get to that place where I am all ears? Where God doesn't have to tell me the same thing over and over and over and over and over. When will I learn the lessons He's been trying to teach me for years?
It frustrates me about myself.
But then, I remember that my salvation and acceptance has nothing to do with what I do or don't do. It has everything to do with what I believe. And when I finally understand that God's love for me is so crazy, unfathomable, and unreasonably amazing, and that there is nothing I can do to make Him love me more, then I will see...actually I'll probably only see the floor because I'll fall flat on my face in reverence before the King of Glory. I know I can't save myself by doing what's right or by not doing what's wrong. I have been saved. I have been washed. I have been raised to new life!

New Year, New Me...hopefully :)

Wow. The start of this new year has made me realize just how much I have taken for granted over the past year. Yes, I have been very thankful at times, when it is appropriate, but there also have been many more times when I have failed to acknowledge the Source of Life and the fact that every good thing I have comes from God my Savior. There is nothing that I have that has not been given to me, in some form or another. This morning when I woke up I journaled for a bit and prayed for a bit, asking God to really transform my life and show me the things that I need to change about myself, and reveal the things that are holding me back from becoming the person that He wants me to be. I tend to be so many of the things that I am called NOT to be...selfish, quick to speak, quick to become frustrated or angry, impatient, not loving others unconditionally, and not very joyful at all.

That is not the person that I want to be. Not at all.

This brought me to think about some of my new year's resolutions. Some are a little personal, but most just have to do with the way I live my life, every single day.

1. I want to pray more for others, instead of just always for myself. This comes with becoming unselfish and recognizing others' problems and the fact that they are as significant, if not more, than your own. I want to get there so bad!!!!!!!! I just wanna stop thinking of myself so much.

Jake is a perfect example of that. He came and sat with me for 6 days (!!!) after my surgery. What guy does that? He was so incredibly attentive and affectionate and always made sure that I was comfortable and that I didn't need anything. He never once complained about the fact that we were sitting around doing nothing and he was probably bored out of his mind. Nope, he just made sure I didn't need anything and said that he would've stayed a month if that's how long it would've taken me to feel better. Wow. He is so unselfish...I know I can learn alot from him :)

2. I want to start mangaging my money in a way that is pleasing to God and not just spending it on little things or going out to eat flippantly....I've really been convicted of that and I know that I need to start saving anyways. I am going to start keeping track of every little thing on paper, instead of just online, and see what percentage of my money is going where, and make sure I am being a good steward of the things that God has given me. Because I don't have an income and clearly, money doesn't grow on trees last time I checked....man, wouldn't that be nice. haha.

3. I plan to spend more quality time in the Word this year. Reading a chapter or 2 a day is NOT enough, no matter what I want to tell myself. The only way that I am going to grow closer to the Lord and really become more like Him is when I start really getting deep into his Word and studying the details of Him and who He is. I am pretty excited about it too! Now only to figure out which book to start in...they're all so good!

4. The last one that I will share publicly (haha) is to learn to enjoy the little things more...to really savor the special moments in my life instead of always trying to hurry my life along. "Stop and smell the roses" I guess is a good cliche for that one...but I wanna do it in my own way ya know. Really learn to slow down and live the sweet little moments in life.

my family is one of the precious things in my life, and I hope I never take any of them for granted...