The Downward Spiral of Self

When I think back over the past six years that Jesus and I have been really close, it's easy to figure out the pattern that comes with the so-called "ups and downs" in our relationship. I say "so-called" because I know without a doubt that they are actually just caused by my lack of drawing near to my Father, since James 4:8 says that He will draw near to me if I draw near to Him. Honestly, I think that the only thing getting in the way is self.

Self-anything, really. Self-doubt. Self-depreciation. Selfishness. Being self-absorbed. Self-glorification. I know I've struggled with them all at times. Once I allow myself to focus on myself, it's a quick downward spiral into getting so stuck inside my own head that I forget there's a dying, hurting, broken world out there that needs Jesus and I'm supposed to be sharing Him with everyone around me.

Even if, and especially if, we've been hurt or we're broken or we're sick or tired, it seems to me that the very best thing we can do is get out of our own heads and start to focus far more on Jesus- His power, His perfection, His goodness, His love- and far less on us. The result can't help but be magnificent!

The disciples learned the secret of literally rejoicing in suffering simply because they understood that their lives were but a grain of wheat in comparison with the glorious reality of Jesus Christ and His work on the cross.

"I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life." John 12:24

Fabricated Femininity

We all know that the women on magazine covers are fake. We've all seen the video about how much photo editing it takes to make a person look "flawless." (If you haven't it's definitely worth seeing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYhCn0jf46U) But the thought I was having as I drove between jobs today was this: how many of us are still buying into the lie that those magazine models are the personification of beauty?

Think about it: so many of us are still purchasing spray tans, concealers, inch-thick push-up bras, wrinkle creams, etc., etc., etc. You can even buy undergarments like "Spanx" to pretend that you're skinnier than you are, even though the potential dangers of wearing them are strikingly similar to those of the 19th century corset. And all of it goes toward putting on a show that disguises who we really are and turns us into these characters who we hope will be considered as beautiful as those digitally-altered models in the check-out aisle. And what's all of it for? Don't we just feel like objects when we're ogled at the grocery store or approached by creepy strangers at the gas station?

Some of the most beautiful women I know aren't young. They're not pretty. They don't have flawless skin or perfectly toned bodies. They don't have anything going for them when it comes to our culture's definition of beauty, but they love. They nurture. They smile and laugh with the joy of heaven. They've proven to me that Jesus' definition of beauty is very different from ours.

There's nothing wrong with being pretty, but I don't think being pretty has anything to do with God's description of a woman who is valuable in His eyes.

We've heard it before, but may we begin to live in light of His truth:"Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised." Proverbs 31:30