Do you know about Groupon? You probably do. It’s a website that offers a deal-of-the-day feature with a paid, discounted gift certificate for a specific amount of service or product redeemable at local or national companies. And when you sign up with them, they will send you daily announcements for your locality.
I got one the other day that made me laugh out loud. In the subject line was this…
Beauty Injections
Wow! Now, wouldn’t that be nice? We could all get shots and be beautiful…on the inside! {giggle}
What does the world tell us? Look like this celebrity. Look like this model. Do this, do that to renew your youth! Heaven forbid I should develop wrinkles or bulges! (Though I wish heaven would forbid it!)
That reminds me of a 1976 movie called Logan’s Run. It takes place in the year 2274, as the world has been decimated by some kind of holocaust and the remnants of civilization now live in a sealed, domed city, a utopia controlled by a master computer that manages all aspects of their lives, including reproduction.
On the surface, all seems to be an idyllic society. These survivors live a mostly hedonistic lifestyle. With little work for them to perform, they are free to pursue a life of pleasure and self-gratification.
They have been told that in order to maintain the city, every resident at the age of thirty must undergo the ceremony known as Carousel with the promise of being renewed.
Actually, thirty was as old as they got. There was no renewal. They just got zapped. Vaporized in the unknown. Toodles!
The world elevates youthfulness and beauty with its pleasures and self-gratification. It offers renewal of youth to the sagging, wrinkling, and aging with its rituals of creams, lotions, hair dyes, lasers for all sorts of things, operations to enlarge this or diminish that, liposuction, nose jobs, weight loss, you name it! Oh, and, of course, don’t forget…beauty shots of botox.
Have you ever seen those who have endured too many plastic surgeries and other body modifications? Their face is so tight that, if they smiled, their skin would rip? Or those who have had so many botox injections that they have no facial expressions any more?
Some have gone to these extremes, being addicted to facial or body “corrections” that they no longer look like themselves. Their desire is to look like a real-life Barbie doll. And it’s not just women. Some men do it as well.
There is no sin in wanting to look our best, to be pleasing to our spouse or to others, by having some cosmetic surgery done. And of course, sometimes, it is essential to have certain types of operations done. However, there is a limit.
Where we get into trouble, where we lose our sense of self – our self-worth and our self-respect – is in comparing ourselves with the physical attributes of others. We begin to think negatively about our own outward appearance.
But as Mom always said, “Beauty comes from within.” And these people agree with her…
Beauty is how you feel inside, and it reflects in your eyes. It is not something physical. ~ Sophia Loren
Beauty without grace is the hook without the bait. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
Beauty pleases the eyes only; sweetness of disposition charms the soul. ~ Voltaire
People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within. ~ Elisabeth Kübler-Ross
One of my favorite beauty quotes is by Audrey Hepburn…
For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others; for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness; and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone.
Scripture tells us that “Our beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to make themselves beautiful.” (1 Peter 3:3-5 NIV)
The best injections of beauty come from the Lord. He gives us beauty to replace our ashes. He gives us the beauty of nature to infuse our souls. He gives us the beauty of comfort from His Word. His gives us the beauty of Himself from being in His presence.
Your beauty comes from your soul, your heart. It is who and what you are; it is what you do; it is what the Lord works in you.
Whoever you are reading this – man or woman – you are beautiful! God doesn’t make ugly. Only man knows how to do that! You are a delight to the Lord, just as you are.
So, how is your beauty-self-worth quotient today?
“Let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us.”
(Ps. 90:17 NKJV)
Lynn writes devotionals and inspirational stories. She has one book waiting to be published in 2015 and is working on a second one. Her greatest passion is to fulfill God’s call on her life to encourage others and glorify the Lord with her writing. She currently writes for several sites and writes bi-weekly on her site, Heading Home. http://lynnmosher.com
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