Skip to main content

Voices

We Christians put a lot of stock into our faith. Consider the following passage, meant for women:
"Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight" (1 Peter 3:3-4).

If asked which type of beauty is more important, many men and women would quickly agree with Peter that it is inner beauty. "This is the type of beauty that will last," they might say. When it comes to acting on that belief, however, it is much more difficult. Women might not want to let go of a fixation on their appearance, for fear that they will no longer be considered beautiful by men; while men may not truly want to consider looking beyond the outer beauty of a woman, whether because he believes the physical attraction wrought by physical beauty is the most important type of attraction, or because he believes being with a beautiful woman will help him to gain status in society.

This means that there are those of us who don't truly believe what we read. On the same point of outward appearance, however, consider Halle Berry:
"Beauty? Let me tell you something, being thought of as ‘a beautiful woman’ has spared me nothing in life, no heartache, no trouble. Love has been difficult. Beauty is essentially meaningless, and it is always transitory."

Maybe Peter was on to something. This is but one topic among many in the Christian faith, but it is one that our culture returns to time and again as a means for acceptance. It is this need for and focus on physical beauty, though (and the lust that can accompany it), that traps so many men in bondage; and it is the same wrenching need to feel physically beautiful that crushes so many women-- even those considered beautiful by others-- for failing to meet what so many think to be a standard of approval. In no way is physical beauty itself a bad thing. There is, in fact, good reason to admire outward appearance: it is the most visible form of beauty. Like money, and every other possible god in our lives, however, it is the prioritizing of physical beauty to a place of prime importance-- as a standard of self-fulfillment-- that will leave us empty.

The same argument that is made for physical beauty can be made for many other areas of life, as well: money, power, anger, family, friends, work, and recreation all are fair play when it comes to choosing one way of life or another. We are, then, left with a choice. To whom will we listen when we hear conflicting versions of what is considered the right way to live? There are several voices, in fact, many of which can seem reasonable. It is the conscious choice to hear and follow God, however, that leaves us free: "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock."

You should know that I am writing this more for myself than for others. I hope that, in the process, I begin to learn these lessons, that I begin to trust God to an extent that I believe in and act on the things he says.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

A White Post-Christmas

I just came back from my brother's renewal of vows. He lives in Wisconsin, and this particular week, they experienced colder-than-average temperatures. I could tell because my hands began to go numb as I attempted to tie down a trailer after last night's reception. As a result, I appreciated the fact that the temperature in Stockton was in the mid-sixties when I came back. It was, however, good to take part in this, a dream of my brother and sister-in-law, after at least two years without seeing them. I saw the incredible support of their friends, who helped set up the day before, took part on the day of the event, and stayed late to help clean up. Aware of how tired everyone was late last night, one of Chris's friends even lent Chris his truck to take the last of the decorations home, a favor that allowed the family to return home before two o'clock in the morning last night. Here are some of the highlights: 1. Hearing on a plane what sounded like a baby's fi...

Heroes

Although we have several examples of heroes in our day, one of the best known is of a woman named Agnes Gonxhe Bojaxhiu (“Gonja Bojaju”), who devoted her life to sustaining the “poor, sick, orphaned, and dying.” Her venue was Calcutta, India, where she served as a teacher until she began to take notice of the poverty there. Seeking to do something about it, she began an organization that consisted of just thirteen members at its inception. Called the “Missionaries of Charity,” the organization would eventually burgeon into well over 5,000 members worldwide, running approximately 600 missions, schools and shelters in 120 countries; and caring for the orphaned, blind, aged, disabled, and poor. As her personal work expanded, she traveled to countries like Lebanon, where she rescued 37 children from a hospital by pressing for peace between Israel and Palestine; to Ethiopia, where she traveled to help the hungry; to Chernobyl, Russia, to assist victims of the nuclear meltdown there; and to ...

The Nice Guy Fallacy

I read part of a poem recently by one of my favorite poets. It reads: I envy not in any moods The captive void of noble rage The linnet born within the cage That never knew the summer woods. I envy not the beast that takes His license in the field of time Unfetter'd by the sense of crime To whom a conscience never wakes. Nor what may call itself as bles't The heart that never plighted troth But stagnates in the weeds of sloth Nor any want-begotten rest. I hold it true, whate'er befall I feel it, when I sorrow most 'Tis better to have loved and lost Than never to have loved at all. At base, Tennyson contrasted a life of risk, and consequent pain, with one of security. He sides conclusively with the life of risk, and says he fails to envy those who have faced no hardship. I agree with him; and, for good or ill, his words are just as relevant today as they were in the nineteenth century. Like then, there are those today who choose to live their lives with as little risk as...