In today's society, one of the biggest pressures young people deal with is to look a certain way. Now, before you say it, let me be clear, I agree that you should care about the way you look. It is important. However, it's only important to a certain degree. It becomes a problem when your desire to look good becomes an obsessive compulsive desire and a vain disease that eats you up and changes you from the inside out.
It’s what I call the "Barbie and Ken" disorder. Somehow, we've allowed the media and society in general to place more emphasis on "looking the part" rather than “being the part”. So much emphasis on how you look and what you have has taken away from the importance of things like education, self-esteem, and success according to the Bible. Again, there's nothing wrong with looking good, and wanting to look good. But you wouldn't believe how many of your peers die every day, from eating disorders, suicide, and drugs, all because they were obsessed with their looks. Even as I write this, I am praying against bulimia, anorexia, and anything else that young people use to try to fit society's image of a good-looking person.
The Bible states very clearly in Proverbs 31:30, that beauty is vain, and favor is deceitful. This simply means that the two things most young people try to obtain, which are to look as good as possible, and for everyone to think highly of them - carries little to no merit at all. It really does not mean anything! Young people walk around, trying to impress everybody with the way they look, and not realizing that the response they get is not love and adoration, but rather lust and lack of respect for you.
Romans 12:2 states: "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." God's desire is not just that you look good, but that you are a balanced person, in your mind, body, and spirit. He wants to use you for His glory and lift you up in your due season. So you have to be prepared. Both the inside and the outside have to be in shape and ready for use. Young people do not be controlled by the "Barbie and Ken" syndrome, because those are marketing tools, not real people. It's just a method of control that leads to bad things. Take care of yourself, and look good, but put more emphasis on being good, so that you have something to support your beautiful looks.
Stay Real…
Theo T.
