I read an article today about a little girl in New York. Apparently, the great state of New York has decided to take upon it's self the burden of being the Obesity Police. They are apparently weighing and measuring little children (how often, I don't know) and then periodically sending home "Fitnessgrams" to the parents. They tell the children not to read them, but when you are a kid, you just got to peek. This little girl came home quite upset. She had read hers, you see. She gave it to her mother to read whereupon her mother discovered that her child was (drum roll please) ONE POUND OVER THE AVERAGE WEIGHT FOR A CHILD HER HEIGHT AND AGE. This is a 4-foot, 1-inch, 66 pound third grader. Her mother was outraged. Understandably so. Later that evening, she saw her sweet little third grader staring at herself in the mirror and "pinching the inch" around her middle, tearfully asking her mother if this was what they were talking about. Heartbreaking, isn't it?
I was outraged, as well. I have always had a "weight problem". I was always a little bit bigger than the other girls in my class. I do know (based on the pictures of me at that time) I was fairly hefty when I was a third grader. Not sure why my weight went up so much then, but it did. However, looking back at pictures of myself growing up, I really wasn't so big. I know I felt ginormous. Especially next to all my skinny, petite little friends. I was constantly on a diet. I had and still have a bad body image. I often wonder if I had never dieted in my life, would I have gained as much weight as I have in my adult life? There is no way to know, I guess. Anywho, I digress.
All of this got me to thinking, you see. Almost everyone has an issue with something about themselves. Too tall. Too short. Crooked teeth. Thin hair. Thick hair. Big feet. Insert your body peeve here. All of these things add up to this: How can anyone love me? I'm not pretty (or handsome) enough. I'll never be anything worth while.
Ok. Lean in, kiddies. I'm gonna share something with you that is very rarely discussed in church. Now, I know most of you have heard of God's plan of salvation. You know. The one where His only Son took on the sins of the world from the beginning of time to the end of time, died, was resurrected and overcame sin and death once and for all. Well, there is another plan. This one belongs to the enemy and it is called the plan of destruction. This enemy wants all of us to find ourselves unworthy of great love. He wants us to doubt that we can be salvaged and redeemed. Repurposed, to use the most current vernacular. He wants us to think if we can only get rid of those few extra pesky pounds, straighten our teeth, and get rid of all our wrinkles, we will be worth saving. Here's the catch. The enemy keeps upping the stakes. Through media, celebrity, and now the guise of concern for a child's physical health, he keeps setting the bar higher and impossibly higher. We will never, ever be able to reach it.
On the other hand, God's plan is quite simple: Come just as you are. Believe that Jesus died for you. Accept His gift of salvation. That's really all there is to it, friends and neighbors. Once you do that, you will see how much you are loved. As further proof, I offer the two verses in the title.
Now, go enjoy your Sabbath day. You are loved just as you are. You are beautiful just as you are.
No comments:
Post a Comment