We are all seeking love in our own ways, some people search for it in material things. They think people will love them more if they have certain clothes or cars or shoes. Some people search for it in their talents, they think if they are good at sports or strong or look good people will like them. And one of the ways people search for love that breaks my heart is when guys and girls feel this pressure to look good for the opposite sex.
Our culture pushes sex so much, just go into any popular clothing store....and it seems to be working too because those stores are thriving. It's sad we have degraded ourselves to use sex to sell things. I read an article a couple months back that interviewed the CEO of Abercrombie (not criticizing you if you guy stuff from there but I would like to share what the article said) this is just a little exert from it.....
For example, when I ask him how important sex and sexual attraction are in what he calls the "emotional experience" he creates for his customers, he says, "It's almost everything. That's why we hire good-looking people in our stores. Because good-looking people attract other good-looking people, and we want to market to cool, good-looking people. We don't market to anyone other than that."
As far as Jeffries is concerned, America's unattractive, overweight or otherwise undesirable teens can shop elsewhere. "In every school there are the cool and popular kids, and then there are the not-so-cool kids," he says. "Candidly, we go after the cool kids. We go after the attractive all-American kid with a great attitude and a lot of friends. A lot of people don't belong [in our clothes], and they can't belong. Are we exclusionary? Absolutely. Those companies that are in trouble are trying to target everybody: young, old, fat, skinny. But then you become totally vanilla. You don't alienate anybody, but you don't excite anybody, either."
Wow, it hurts to read that our culture is saying ugly people shouldn't be accepted....Our culture is shallow. I believe everyone is beautiful and this is what Jesus teaches us. God created every single person and loves us all equally. When we take something God created so beautifully such as a human being and degrade them to the point where they aren't accepted by the cool people. How can we say one human is better than another? We are all human beings, we all have thoughts and feelings and have the capacity to love people and show compassion. That in itself is beautiful.
God only creates beautiful things, go to the beach sometime and tell me it's not beautiful, go to the grand canyon, look at the stars at night, look at how the sun lights up the earth, look at the trees and plants and everything God created and how wonderful and perfect it is. God's view of perfection is different than ours because God isn't shallow. He knows he created everyone beautiful because he reads peoples hearts. He knows we are all capable of loving each other and love is beautiful.
I believe there is something so beautiful about a girl who respects herself and dresses modestly. I think when a girl can believe in her heart that someone will love her for who she is she won't have to try so hard to fit into the culture and be someone she isn't. I used to be pretty shallow when it came to girls, I am not going to lie about it. But how stupid I was by doing that because I always ended up with people who weren't right for me.
Now when I look around I see girls who try so hard and I start to see how desperate they are to be loved. They just need someone to go up to them and tell them that they are loved no matter what. I really like Dusty's quote in chapel a few weeks ago....
If God is love, it is maddening when we are running from God and yet searching for love.
We are all searching for love, we are all looking to be handsome and beautiful, it's sad to see this is what we have been searching for for so long and Jesus was sitting right next to us the whole time telling us how beautiful we are and how he loves us. He answers what we are searching for, we don't need to find love in the wrong places anymore.
I love the Newsboys song "Something Beautiful" and that's what inspired this note....
IT’S A VOICE THAT WHISPERS MY NAME
IT’S A KISS WITHOUT ANY SHAME
SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL
LIKE A SONG THAT STIRS IN MY HEAD
SINGING LOVE WILL TAKE US WHERE
SOMETHING'S BEAUTIFUL
What God created is beautiful and everyone deserves that feeling of being loved. When people realize they are loved then they no longer have to search for it in the ways of the world. Love goes beyond what this world has to offer, so if we are searching for it within the things of this world, it will never be found.
I'll be honest, there is something so much more beautiful about a girl who respects themselves, dresses modestly, has a compassionate heart, and is happy with who God made them. They are happy people who are grateful with what God gave them because God gave it to them.
My challenge for this note would be to realize you are beautifully and wonderfully made and are loved by God. Don't throw away to the dogs what is beautiful. If satan ever tells you you aren't good enough or not smart enough or not good looking enough, know that you are made by God and nothing you do can make you not good enough in any way.
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
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