This is not only what we've come to, but where we're still going. . . and it's going to destroy us. While we've been made to pursue the deep things of God, we've somehow bought the lie that we're to pursue and tend to that which is on the surface, specifically, our appearance. Those who promote beauty and anti-aging products hardly have to work to catch our attention anymore. Instead, we're so obsessed with undoing the effects of time and gravity - a fruitless pursuit that nobody has ever succeeded at, by the way - that we are constantly looking for them.
Both immoral and ridiculously absurd, this pursuit and worship of all things culturally beautiful was on my mind again this morning as I read about something new from the folks at Beautifulpeople.com - a web community that if I joined, I'd be voted out of in no time. If you aren't already aware of this virtual meat-fest, it's a place where you are rated and voted off if your looks don't measure up. Now, the site's 600,000 members are able to search a virtual sperm and egg bank as part of the community's effort to populate the world with beautiful people. As an added bonus, even ugly people can sign up and make a withdrawal if they want to redeem and steer their own genetic tendencies away from the ugly and to the better-looking. One news outlet reports that the site's founder Robert Hintze said: "Initially, we hesitated to widen the offering to non-beautiful people. But everyone -- including ugly people -- would like to bring good looking children in to the world, and we can't be selfish with our attractive gene pool." Wow, that is so generous! Sadly, something about all this sounds eerily familiar to some stuff a horrible group of people in Europe were pursuing seventy to eighty years ago.
One of the greatest and least understood cultural threats to deep faith and true worship of God is the narcissistic tendency to focus on ourselves. . . and to focus at a level that's only skin-deep. It's epidemic in youth culture. It's epidemic in adult culture. Perhaps it's time to take a more serious look at a couple of things. . . first, a look into the Word for some accurate, proper, and right perspective, and then second, into our own faces and hearts to see where we've bought the lies. Yep, it's even in the church. . . big time. Perhaps a look at what we daydream about, what we spend our money on, and where we spend our time would yield some not-so-pleasant but oh-so-necessary revelations about who we really are. Our kids need to be taught these skills as well.
Could it be that "blessed are the ugly" . . . . ?
4 comments:
Wow. That is unbelievably sad. Beauty is vain, but teaching that truth to students is extremely challenging in a world with websites like that one.
Walt, Thanks for a straight-forward look at this particular problem in our society and culture. I am 49 and I have fallen under the spell that young is beautiful. I have been doubting the fact that I could ever find the man God has for me because of my age. Wow ... Age, Wisdom and all that emotional baggage behind me .. still wondering if I had anything left to offer. Because of God and his Grace I have plenty to offer. God has given me the gift of perseverance and I plan on taking Him at His Word. God has worked through many "an old people" and I shall be another one who will be singing His praise long into my rocking chair days.
Amen Brother and thanks for you blog. You really challenged me to think about my ideology of getting older.
Maybe Christians should look at this vanity-hyped website and take a lesson from its mistakes. From my experiences, too many Christians judge other Christians by what church they go to. A form of "religious vanity," if you will. Its just as wrong, and just as ugly, as what you'll see on the beautiful people website.... as well as all too common.
Thank you Walt for sharing your views. You are so very correct about the danger and pit falls we as believers can fall into through vanity and the quest for outward beauty. I would like to challenge you however, on efforts of restoring one's youth (anti-aging). There ARE natural, God given means to reversing the aging process that DO work.
I am currently utilizing a few products that are doing phenomonal things to my body...detoxing and purifying my body of deadly wastes & toxins, losing excess fat that the body needs to hold onto these death sentances. One of the products in particular is literally restoring and renewing my cells causing color to return to my hair, skin becoming supple once more, strength and endurance returning, wounds are healing faster, I'm sleeping deeper and so much more.
WHY if not for vanity sake would I be pursuing such things? Consider a few options with me:
* I am part of the Bride of Christ
* He has called me (us) to prepare (think of Esther)
* He is revealing and showing me so many more things about Himself and His glory, grace and power that I never knew in my 20's & 30's
* I am called (as we all are) to instruct the younger generations in the ways of the Lord
* Our world is changing rapidly and we are seeing things today like never before in our lifetimes or even in the lives of our forefathers
* There is a great Harvest coming
Walt, when I am sickly, overweight, weakened and tired, I may still hear the Lord's voice, however no where near as clearly as I can when I am strong, vital and have energy. God has provided means for us to regain a bit of our youth back (by 20 yrs at least), His grace is sufficient in ALL ways. If we, who are learning so much more in these days of our lives can be given this time back in order to extend our effectiveness to the younger generations, then why not? I say, Glory to God!
The days of Abraham, Moses, Enoch, Elijah, (just to name a few) who lived to very old ages (& one never died!), may be upon us. God is doing amazing things in these days. He's giving us a chance to choose to participate. He's calling us to purity of mind, body and spirit, to have upright characters and to reveal Himself to all men. When people see Jesus through me, THAT'S what I want them to see. JESUS. I don't want them to have see beyond excess weight, sickness and disease. This isn't a picture of Jesus.
Thank you again for pointing out vanity...it too, is a killer.
Blessings!
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