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According to a magazine article I read a few years ago, 99% of American
women and 94% of American men would change something about their looks
if they could. With that many people wanting to change something about
their looks we might begin to wonder how we got like we are in the first
place.
Three major factors have made us like we are. The first is our genetic
make-up. It is something we did not choose and we cannot change. The
Bible says concerning our conception, "For you (God) created my inmost
being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I
am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that
full well." (Psalm 139:13-14).
Although we cannot change our DNA code, we can learn to work with what
God has given us – things like learning what colors best compliment us,
practicing good grooming habits, eating the right foods, and getting
proper exercise. The Bible says, "Do you not know that your body is a
temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from
God? (1st Corinthians 6:19). Since our body’s are God’s temple, we ought
to be careful to take care of them.
The
second major factor that makes us like we are is our environment. Where
we were born, what type of family we grew up in, and the friends we
associate with all shape us one way or the other. Just as we did not
choose our genetic code, we also did not choose our basic environment.
We were born into a certain nationality and race, with its particular
languages, customs and culture. We did not choose the economical
standing of our parents, whether or not they were married or single, or
how many sibling we would have.
However, unlike our genetic code, we can do much to change our
environment over our lifetimes. Instead of becoming thermometers that
merely reflect our circumstances, we can become thermostats that change
the world around us. However, many people find it easier to blame their
past than to change their future. But blaming does not create change; it
only keeps one locked into the negatives of the world around him.
The
third major factor that makes us like we are is our inner spiritual
selves. Unlike our genetic code and our environment, we choose what’s
inside us. It is our own choice if we are basically happy or sad,
positive or negative, bitter or loving. It is what’s inside that really
counts.
While the Bible reminds us that God does not judge by external
appearance but instead by what is in our hearts, it also says that what
is on the inside does affect our external appearance. When Jesus said,
"Clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be
clean." (Matthew 23:26) I think he was saying that if we rid ourselves
of negative or bitter attitudes toward ourselves, others or
circumstances that it will show up in our faces and our actions.
Instead of complaining about our bodies or our situations we are to do
what we can to improve them and then leave the rest in God’s hands. We
are to learn to be content with what we have, because God has said,
"Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." (Hebrews. 13:5)
Paul Jetter, Upper Valley Community Church |
