Now in this post you will notice that many teenagers go through this problem. I go through the same thing...but when I learnt this, my mind-set completely changed...
Now:
Here are 2 pics of two different celebs...
...and here are some poor kids from Africa...Well that's what I found on the net...
Now in this post there will be many questions but the answer is up to you...The 1st question is who do you think looks better (HONESTLY)...?? Before you answer continue to read this blog. Once you are done then answer this question..
Now ask yourself these questions...
What kind of self-image do i have? What do I think of myself? Do I accept myself just as I am, or would I like to be more like someone else ("I wish I were as good-looking as him/her." "I wish I had a body like his/hers." "I wish I had his/her abilities.")? Do I hate the way I look? Do I wish I could change the way I look? Do I blame God or my parents for the way I am???
TAKE A GOOD, HONEST, REALISTIC LOOK AT YOURSELF...
Now for an example...
Well we know that this is Flintstone. But lets think of him as a guy who has so many complains...Here is a list of what seems to be physical shortcomings that might affect us in the ways we accept ourselves and the God who made us..
Well this is what Flintstone might be having in his mind....
*I am too fat.
*I am too short.
*My feet are too big.
*I have a big nose.
*I have a poor hair texture.
*I can't afford to buy the clothes that Brad Pitt has to make him look perfect.
We have complains like these too right?? Well if you wanna see yourself in the right way and have a healthy self-image of yourself, then there are at least 6 important facts which you have to keep in mind:
FACT NO.1 : YOU MUST NOT SEE THINGS FROM THE WORLD'S POINT OF VIEW.
The world we live in is all caught up in beauty and outward appearance. Prime importance is placed on how a person looks. "Beauty" and "Body" are all important. Those who are physically attractive often seem to be more popular, more successful and even more happier.
Is the world correct in its thinking? Is outward appearance really all important? Is there something more important about a person than just look/body/clothes? For more information on this you can read Ephesians 4:17-24. When it comes to seeing what is really important in a person, the world is totally blind and without understanding. As Christian believers we must not get all caught up in putting the wrong values on outward appearance, in fact, it is a sin to do this. (Romans 12:2). We must not think as the world thinks. We must not see things as the world does. We must not let the world mold us and force us to accept its distorted values.
The world looks at a person's charm and beauty; God looks at a person's inner beauty. We must learn to look at people as God does, not as the world does.
FACT NO.2 : WHEN GOD MADE YOU, HE DID NOT MAKE A MISTAKE.
Did you ever wish you could change the way you look and give yourself a different colour and texture of hair, or a different face or a different body? Did you ever wish you could see a plastic surgeon and allow him to reshape and remake you into a new person? Well even if he did, underneath you are still the same person. You will still be facing your same old probs in life and you would still be you. Why are you the way you are? Are you an accident of nature? Are you the product of a freak genetic mutation? Are you the ugly descendant of some ape-like creature?
NO!!!!
The Bible says in John 1:3 that "ALL things were made by Him (Christ)." Does that it include you? Yes it does.
You have been made and created by ALL-WISE, ALL-KNOWING, LOVING, PERFECT GOD who does all things well, and who has never made even one lil' mistake in all of eternity! One of the things that this wonderful God did was to make YOU!!!
Do you see yourself as one who is WONDERFULLY MADE? Have you THANKED God for the way He has made you or are you unhappy about the way you were made? Can you think of others who are physically more handicapped than you? Are they important people just as much as you are or are they inferior people because they lack outward beauty and a sound body? Why does God allow such things, and who is to blame ( consider John 9:1-3)?
FACT NO.3 : THERE IS SOMETHING FAR MORE IMPORTANT THAN OUTWARD APPEARANCE.
What is the difference between the way man looks at people, and the way God looks at people ( 1 Samuel 16:7)?
Consider Miss America, Mr. Universe or the most beautiful/handsome person you know. What is true bout this person's body and outward appearance ?
-this person will remain beautiful/handsome forever.
-this person will grow old and eventually will become wrinkled.
-this person will someday die, and the body will decompose, rot, decay and return to dust.
-this person is likely to win a beauty contest(woman) or weight-lifting contest(man) at age 89.
-the soul of this person will live on forever.
-this person has a perfect life....
"???.."
In the light of these facts, is there something more important than outward appearance??
FACT NO.4 : YOU MUST CONCENTRATE ON WHAT YOU CAN CHANGE, NOT ON WHAT YOU CANNOT CHANGE.
Now, dressing well and looking good is important but its not everything. Every person has inherited physical traits from his parents, and for most part, these things cannot be changed. This would include such things as a person's height, colour of eyes, size of nose, texture of hair, etc. Man is limited in his ability to change the basic aspects of his physical body. There are some aspects of our physical frame which can be changed to a certain degree such as through proper diet and discipline, a person can change the size of his waistline. In general, however, there is a real limitation as far as a physical change is concerned. To a large measure, our physical body and appearance has been genetically determined by the wisdom and providence of our loving Creator.
Though there is muchabout our body we cannot change, IT IS POSSIBLE TO CHANGE THE KIND OF PERSON WE ARE!! With God's help, man is able to change and develop his inward personality and character. You may be grumpy,unkind, unthankful, disrespectful, unloving, bitter, angry, lustful, greedy, jealous (which is one of the difficult character to avoid), critical, selfish, proud or many other things, but you do not have to be like this FOREVER!!! These are all traitswhich you inherited from Father Adam, but God has provided salvation through Christ and even the POWER TO CHANGE ( 2 Cor.5:17). It is the inner ugliness that we should worry about, not the outer. How beautiful is your inner man??? You may not be able to change your outer appearance, even if you could you will still be the same inside?
FACT NO.5 : GOD WANTS YOU TO HAVE A HEALTHY COUNTENANCE.
Let's define "COUNTENANCE".
"Countenance is the expression of the face which reveals the inner condition of the heart"
What takes place on the inside of a person often shows on the face. So to make it short..Having a SMILE would not only light up your day but make others feel good too.
......and finally....
FACT NO.6 : YOU ARE A VERY IMPORTANT PERSON TO GOD.
Would a person sacrifica his most precious or valuable possessions for the sake of another if he did not consider that person important? Would a man leave his family behind and be willing to sacrifica his life in a war if he did not believe that his country and freedom were important? ( John 3:16 is my fav. verse that says "FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD THAT HE GAVE HIS ONLY SON. THAT WHO BELIEVES IN HIM SHALL NOT PERISH BUT HAVE ETERNAL LIFE".)
Ask yourself...HOW IMPORTANT IS GOD TO YOU? HOW MUCH VALUE DO YOU PLACE ON HIM AND HIS WORD? GOD HAS ACCEPTE YOU AND WANTS TO DO GREAT THING IN YOU. HAVE YOU ACCEPTED YOURSELF????
I'll leave it to you to decide. And as for the pictures above..think about it. The answer is up to you.
PLEASE NOTE : Some of the materials in this post was adapted from DISCUSSION MANUAL FOR STUDENT RELATIONSHIP (VOLUME 1) BY DOWSON McALLISTER AND DAN WEBSTER (MOODY PRESS)...
God Bless....
0 comments:
Post a Comment