God's word makes a clear distinction about His value of people and the way the world values people. Movies, TV, social media and society are very vocal about who has value. You won't go far without hearing you need to be more, better, popular and good looking. 1st John 2:16 describes it perfectly, "For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world." (NLT)
The world (culture, society, friends, family, media) screams that someone can be better than someone else. God also has a megaphone, look at nature. Is Mt. St. Helens better than Mt. Hood? Is the Pacific better than the Atlantic? Is the North Pole better than the South Pole? These are ridiculous questions! Who can answer them?
Let's use the world's logic to answer one of these questions. Let's say I own a resort on Mt. Hood. As a businessman I want to make a ton of money and have the best resort around. I'd find all of the most attractive and famous people, get the Winter Olympics, go on a social media blitz, invite movies and TV shows to film at Mt. Hood. I'd share why Mt. Hood is better than Mt. St. Helens with anyone who'd listen. Soon people would believe my message and share it with others. As more people believe that Mt. Hood is better than Mt. St. Helens the statement becomes true.
Is it true? The fact is I've got a vested interest in Mt Hood being better. I've put time, power, money, energy and shared a clever narrative. The more people I get to believe my narrative the more I have to gain. What did I gain? I gained exactly what 1st John 2:16 describes, money, power, achievement and being better than someone/something else. I can only keep what I've gained while people believe Mt. Hood is better. And Guess what? Someone just built a better resort on Mt. Saint Helens.
The following verse, 1st John 2:17 says, "The world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God remains forever." Translation, the world's way may feel true and a lot of people may believe it, but it won't stand the test of time.
Throughout history there has been some absurd standards of beauty, most notably are those that have been used with (against) women. In the 16th Century women plucked their hairlines a few inches back, creating a receding hairline to show off their foreheads. Being blond was also considered beautiful, urine was often used for that golden shine.
The Japanese had a practice called Ohaguro. The women, and sometimes the men, would dye their teeth black for that fresh look of clean. For accent Greeks the uni-brow was a sexy look. The Middle Ages was the time to finally get rid of those pesky eyelashes. And In the 18th Century women glued fabric to their faces.
In the end, it's your choice to believe where your identity and value comes from.
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About Me: I'm a Christian counselor in Vancouver, WA. I specialize in treating male teens and men's counseling. Please contact me with any questions about my blog, counseling or to set up an appointment.
All information and opinions shared on this blog are for educational purposes only. Please contact me or another mental health care provider for diagnosis and treatment.