5 Dangerous Letters: A Note On Image

So, I’m writing today to discuss a topic- a prevalent one- an all TOO prevalent one. One that I have struggled with, one that I have watched every single one of my friends struggle with and one that I see hundreds of people I don’t even know struggle with. What is this subject you might ask? (participatory audience response: What is this subject?) ah, what a GREAT question. It starts with I and ends with E...spelled out it is I M A G E. Yes, image. Synonyms for this word include: appearance, looks, persona, style...your “mo,” “aura...” you tracking with me? 

Yes, image. Also, if really looked into with depth, could be considered (what most view as) their identity. If we’re being honest, everyone cares about their image but when it really comes down to it, you’ve got the people in denial (that they care about their image,) the people seeking after “an” image, and the people who know what image really means. To be even more honest though, there are so few who fall into the third category and even if you do, it is a constant struggle to remain in it. 

Now, let’s dig this apart. The planet earth holds about 7 billion people in it (most of which can’t even afford to care about their appearance) and for those fortunate enough to live a lifestyle where they can care about appearance rather than just being focused on their next meal, it is a life full of magazines, reality TV, hollywood films, celebrities, designers, skewed idealism, church on Sundays (or not), nice cars, expensive restaurants and hundred dollar salon visits. This world I live in is consumed with selfishness, discontent and vanity. Harsh, but maybe all to true. 

I was skimming my facebook newsfeed the other week, and saw this picture (that I’ve seen several repeats of) which read something along the lines of something to do with how did we go from a Marilyn Monroe body ideal to a Audrey Hepburn body ideal... The main irony I found being that they lived in the same time period- but the main point of the picture stands...the creators of the picture were wondering why magazines promote a stick-thin image. In high fashion and on the red carpet, we tend to see very skinny women, with perfect complexions, beautiful dresses and amazing heels- not exactly something everyday women can live up to.

When do you ever see someone put a teenage face on the cover of something if the face happens to have a blemish on it? Never. Why is that? HOW is that realistic? Well, the truth is, it isn’t. But the even better question is, why do teenagers fall into the trap that it is or could be realistic? Why do families who watch reality TV assume their houses aren’t big enough, their TVs aren’t clear enough and their wardrobe doesn’t have enough designer labels in it? Why is the majority more focused on the hollywood happenings in lives of unrelateable celebrities than on the lives of people who are striving to make a difference in the important things of life? Now, don’t get me wrong here, I am not (necessarily) belittling actors and actresses and the lives they live...however, I do think that the path modern day celebs have taken is (in general) disappointing. 

But, before I get on a tangent and regress, I shall return to the main topic. For Christ followers, it is crucial to not fall into the trap of the portrayed image the world has offered. 

Eating disorders, 

Excessive make-up,

Importance in designer labels,       

Needing the next and the best,

Criticizing others,

Standing prideful in rank,

Sustaining a comfortable life,

Addiction to technology,

Discontent in personal look,

Definition in another person,

Anything else that rains on the purity God initially bestowed upon you will allow a foothold for Satan.

You know, I have really started picking apart the expectations the world has on me, being a seventeen year old girl and all. They expect me to be in rebellion against my parents, become obsessed with the newest show hitting the headlines, fixate on my physical beauty, allure men in order to have perceived control and value, and all the while maintain a semblance of personal security and strength in a world that seems to be spinning out of control. That’s the image that one side of me wants to live up to... But as I started discovering all that the above entails and realizing the emptiness it avails , I also started chasing for the type of life Jesus actually desires for me. 

The interesting part of this whole heart experiment was that once I started discussing these struggles with my dearest pal and we began looking into the Word and seeing the truth of our beautimous struggles through Jesus’s eyes...our minds were quite blown. The Word never measures beauty (I mean, I can’t completely verify that...but everything I saw did) by image- nor appearance- rather, it measures women and men by their character. I would like to think that (in particular) along with the invention of the ‘mirror’ also came more poor images women hold of themselves- but that would be a lie. Women choose to accept a poor image of themselves when they accept the lies The Enemy whispers to them. The thing these women forget is their poor view not only affects them but also their daughters...passing on poor ideas which last for generations. 

I mean, right now is a prime example. Makeup can cover almost anything up- right? And so, as a solution to rough looking skin, most girls load it on... In essence they hide behind this outer shell creating more insecurities for themselves and also affirming the others who are doing the exact same thing. Pimples are natural for teenagers to have. Wrinkles are natural for aged people to have. Sunburn and freckles occur as a result of the sun. And dark circles come when you don’t sleep. All natural, all self explanatory. Let’s not hide it. The above shows that we are alive... And more importantly, that we will not give into the airbrushed persona that we are offered. The Jesus in us it better than that.

This morning, as I was in the Word, I was just brought to 2 Corinthians 4- a chapter I am not often brought to...and it was just perfect to go along with this note. Where I read was discussing the jars of clay... When I think of clay, I don’t think pretty and not only that, I think weak and breakable and yet, this is where we have our treasure. By knowing and accepting that we are nothing special, that it is only the Jesus in us that is special, we become humbled. The idealistic appearance fades and only Jesus becomes what matters.

So, to end I say that “you can have all this world, but just give me Jesus.” That includes a surrender of my image.

Getting Over Writer's Block

Oh, my. I cannot believe this. I am in complete shock. Yes, I am STILL in shock!! YOU GUYS, I have 6,000 views for this blog!!!! Can YOU even believe that?? Because I just cannot... STILL.

However, I feel like it is unfair of me to begin that way.. because, above all, I owe you an apology. I am sincerely sorry that it has been just way too long since I last wrote my thoughts down. If it makes you feel any better, I haven't written my thoughts down anywhere... so don't you start thinking that I have filled Mr. Journal in and abandoned Miss Blog.. that is simply not the case. But, my dear readers, life has just been so crazy and I really didn't know what exactly I should, could or would write on this loverly blog. I am still at a loss and a blank. Writer's block, I hear is what it's called. And if that's what it is, I've got one heck of a case...

But, I figure, what better way to overcome this blockage than write through it. Maybe it will help or maybe I'll just write a bunch of useless words- either way, this blog is desperate for something! So! Here we go *deep breath*

A couple weeks back, I grabbed some coffee with an old, long-lost friend of mine... You see, she had moved to Virginia and, indubitably, distance becomes a difficult thing to stay on top of. So, as I was driving through her town, I spontaneously called her to see if she'd be up for a latte. Lucky me, she agreed. I was honestly excited to see her and hear what was going on with her- I knew she'd lift my spirits but I was in no way prepared for the encouragement I received. So, here we are 10 o'clock...and I know there is a daunting three hour ride home... but we sit down and she begins to talk. Now this sweet friend of mine has a lot of words, ever since I've known her this has been the case- but unlike anyone else, it seems that every word to exit her mouth has meaning. well thought-out meaning. My hour and a half coffee meet up was the most refreshing escape from empty words... and let me tell you, she said the exact sentence that I head been trying to formulate in my mind for the 3 months of absence  I've taken from this blog!!

She said, talking about a situation in her own life, "And I was just thinking, is it really the person that I love or is it the relationship that I have with that person?" The moment those words entered the atmosphere, I let out a "hooray!" inside the depths of my heart... because that was exactly what I needed to process.

You know, as I grow, I see how change is one of life's greatest guarantees. With that guarantee however, we have two decisions to choose from: to accept and admire change or to live in a dismal mood of  yesteryear. The latter is definitely a decision that many take up. Their disgust for change is so extreme that they would rather live in the past- which, if you are not already aware, is completely an impossible feat. When someone lives in the past, it is a nice way to say that they are only choosing to live in a hazy life of denial. Denial at its very core is a condescending word and, let's be honest, it doesn't really breed nice people. So, the question remains, why would people choose to deny change rather than accept it? (just an FYI, attitudes that frequently tag along to denial are bitterness and anger- both said to make a person age more quickly..) I think that the answer is quite simple: fear.

But, I am not writing to discuss why people don't like change- I want to write about change itself. It offers so many beautiful things. When people accept change albeit a change in relationship, job, church, state, ect... it offers them an amassment of characteristics. Change has a way of bringing you on a fresh, new roller-coaster with a myriad of new enchantments... through this roller-coaster, you are offered new glasses to put on, to see things with a new perspective. When you become distant from the person you used to be so close to, it's okay for that to hurt- but it's not okay for it to glue your feet down, to keep you moving along the pathway of life... instead, take some time to gather yourself, look at the situation a little farther out than just two centimeters close and decide a plan of action; this plan should mostly consist of acceptance.

I can count, using both my hands, the number of relationships that have changed over just this past year... some of the changes have been excruciating and some of them have been beautiful and delightful. As I've been discussing these changes with the Lord and as he has used his living Word to breathe life into me, I have seen that mere acceptance of the changes in my life is not enough, it's the surrender that Jesus is looking for. He desires that I let go of my ever-longing for control and release my life to his powerful hands. Surrender always seems like such a passive word, doesn't it? ...oh, but it isn't. It's very active- it's a chant, a victory chant. It's an overcoming of flesh and an action to become more like Christ.

So, back to the original thought- is it the relationship I love or the person? I was challenged with that question when relationships began to transform. Day by day, I am learning to love others the way Christ loves me- my soul dependence on any relationship, that is not Jesus, is not complete surrender.


As Always, Anna