Continuing in our series entitled Identity Theft. As you may recall from last week… the fastest growing crime in America is Identity Theft… a means by where who we are is taken by another. But of course our identity is far more than our credit card number or bank account. And in truth… the real danger of identity theft is losing who God created us to be. So we are looking at what can steal our ultimate identity… and how to reclaim it.
I want to begin this final part of our time this morning by asking you a question: What do you see in the mirror? What do you see when you look in the mirror?
There is a bit of awkwardness when it comes to the topic of looking in the mirror… it’s a moment that connects a bit to our very personal self image… it can be that point in which we all face a bit of vanity… as well as insecurity.
It’s part of our trying to figure out our identity. I have a 3 year old son… he doesn’t worry a lot about what he looks like. I have a seven year old daughter who just got a new doll for Christmas… and I feel I have to remind her often that she is more beautiful than any doll in the world. Why? Because I see comparison creeping in… trying to define her. I also have an adolescent son…who at times takes longer looks in the mirror… becoming more self conscious. I feel for him. I feel with him… wondering if I look strange or cool… wondering where I fit in the strange world of attractions.
We all want to say ‘’’whatever… I don’t care too much how I look… but I think it’s often more a way of dismissing or defending what may be felt. I think there is a piece within all of us that desires to look good and struggles with insecurity about our looks. That’s why we try to pick the right clothes, work out, diet, and such.
If you’re a guy who’s spent some time at the gym… you may have had a moment when you see those muscles… pumping the iron… and think “man… I’m ripped”…. Then along comes a guy who starts pumping 4 times that level of weight with a body to match… and you think “I’m not ripped, I’m ripped off!” Your ego goes from beefcake to cupcake.
Before we ever look in that mirror again… I think we need to assess the mirror itself.
Much of what we see in that mirror is what we are told to see…. what we are told about our bodily form.
What we experience when we look in the mirror… when we consider how relate our bodily form to how we feel… is shaped by our culture. Our culture is obsessed with our bodily form.
We’re consumed w/ our outward appearance. Did you know…
• Americans spent $20 billion last year on cosmetics and $2 billion on hair care products?
• They spent an additional $74 billion spent on dieting needs.
• This year some 7.4 million people will undergo cosmetic surgery; 5 out of 6 are women.
We live in an image obsessed culture – and it is only getting worse!
The world watches as America went from its array of beauty pageants to a new era of cultural shows such as: Extreme Makeover, Dr. 90210, I Want a Famous Face, and the Swan
The success of these latest shows reveals that millions of people are focused on what is staring back at them when they look into a mirror.
Now of course there is a healthy appreciation for physical beauty and caring for our bodies and appearance. God is a God of beauty and creativity and aesthetics. He created a world that is full of beauty and wonder.
The problem is not about appreciating beauty but our associating it with love and worth.
The problem is not about caring about our appearance… but connecting it to the love… to the need for unfailing love.
The problem is this…
The mirror is not just a mirror when our inner interpretation is distorted by false correlations, imposed with comparisons, driven by misguided obsessions, and deceived by distortions that wrongly define what we see.
Consider the way that comparison has been imposed upon what we see…
If I see a yellow flower… we might say I see a thing of beauty. But if it is forced to be seen only next to a multicolored wonder… then what once could have been looked upon with wonder for it’s own beautiful merits… could now be redefined by words like plain… bland… small… and such.
> I suggest it happens with every magazines turn of the page… every minute of popular television… every time we go shopping. Comparison is being imposed upon us… interpreting what we see.
Not only are those that should simply be appreciated now imposed with a comparative force… they are distortions of reality itself.
Consider the distortions that deceive us…
Barbie -
Barbie is often looked upon as an icon of Western childhood. But is she realistic?
Using hip measurements as a constant, calculations were made to determine the changes necessary for a young, healthy adult woman to attain the same body proportions as Barbie. Among the changes necessary were for the female to increase 24 in. in height, 5 in. in the chest, and 3.2 in. in neck length, while decreasing 6 in. in the waist. © 1995 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
If she were a real person,
• Barbie…would have to crawl around on all fours just to support her unnatural proportions and her top-heavy frame.
• She would not even have the 17 to 22 percent body fat that is required for a woman to menstruate."
• She would wear a size 3 children’s shoe
• She would only have room for an esophagus OR a trachea in her neck (she could either eat OR breathe . . . we guess she must just breathe)
One study concluded…“These ultra-thin images not only lowered young girls’ body esteem but also decreased their satisfaction with their actual body size, making them desire a thinner body.”
Dr Margaret Ashwell, science consultant and former director of the British Nutrition Foundation, said: “These results are very important and show that children can be influenced at a very early age. We need to be aware of that and take the appropriate action.”
(From - http://www.thebarbiedoll.com/barbie_controversies.html and http://www.vanderbilt.edu/wellnesscenter/barbie.html and Abstract - 10.1002/1098-108X(199511)18:3<295::AID-EAT2260180313>3.0.CO;2-R Distorting reality for children: Body size proportions of Barbie and Ken dolls by Kelly D. Brownell, Ph.D., Melissa A. Napolitano, B.A.)
Models -
The average American woman is 5’3” and weighs 152 lbs. The average model is 5’9” and weighs 109 lbs. Did you know in the past 3 decades most Ms. America winners have had a body mass index within the range of malnutrition.
> Some models are literally DYING to create a look.
Not to mention the distortion that goes into creating the look we see… or illusion.
Actress Julianne Moore recalls looking at a photo in a magazine and saying, ‘Why don’t I look like that?’ only to realize it was a picture of her self. (Ladies Home Journal)
The models are modeling more than clothes … they are modeling our dis-ease. They are selling more than products… they are selling the elusive pursuit of being loved and accepted.
I don’t mean to imply that all modeling of clothes or products is wrong… or that anyone in particular intends for such consequences. But it doesn’t take much reflection to see that more goes on than selling clothes and products.
The result is that we are further ‘mugged by the mirror’… driven and defined by comparison that itself is driven beyond reality.
We’ve bought the lie that looks means being fulfilled, being enough, being accepted, admired and respected. We have come to think being attractive means that I will be loved – somebody will want me and my friends will want to be with me and like me.
What is the root of all this?
Consider what lies within every soul.
Genesis 1:27 (NIV)
“God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”
> Our most fundamental identity is that of bearing the image of God. All of creation reflects something of God… but we alone bear the image. We are creatures endowed with the highest identity. And our sexuality.. which we can feel so uncertain in… is rooted in the Divine order… a part of our very being. We can’t become any more male or female. All of this was simple and settled in relationship to God … until we sought to operate autonomously. In trying to become autonomous… we found ourselves naked… exposed.
Genesis 3:10 (NIV)
“He (Adam) answered, "I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid."
The grand dignity that humankind holds… is left hiding in shame… covering itself up. It is the depiction of our human shame. The root of the shame lies in our separation … not our bodies. Having lost their innocence… they feel a new condition…uncovered by God himself.
> The nature of human shame lies in our autonomy from God… not our anatomy.
We are mugged and robbed of our true identity every time we try to cover the fundamental inner shame we feel… with our outward appearance.
The further we as a culture try to repress our shame… the further we try to ignore that something is wrong … the more we try to cover it up… and the more we will to resolve our inner self image with outward appearance.
If the enemy of our souls can get us to focus on our exterior rather than the true image of God that lies within…then he can steal away our identity.
How can we reclaim who God created us to be?
How can we take back our true identity… reclaim who God created us to be?
Let me offer three steps. (One author referred to them as three ‘victorious secrets’ that will help when Victoria Secrets gets the best of you.)
1. Listen to your Creator Father’s voice… and discover what He sees.
We were created in God’s image… bearing His image is our greatest honor… and it’s not defined by our bodies.. not a bodily measurement thing.. it’s what every one of us bears.
Listen to the Psalmist…
Psalms 139:13-15 (READ TOGETHER)
“For you 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. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place.”
This is a one size fits all honor. Every life bears His image.
It is so critical to know what our creator says about us. If we are all just fellow creatures wandering wayward without knowing who and why we are… we really don’t have a defining voice to offer. That is why Jesus came to further make God known… and spoke of living out of knowing God as our ultimate Father… who defines and directs life.
Jesus came to reveal life with God. He declares for all to know… that an enemy of our souls seeks to deceive and steal from us. But he has come to bring life… true life… life such as he revealed… which is life that flows from the Father’s voice.
Colossians 2:8 (NLT)
“Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ.”
We may need to do some interior remodeling of our minds and souls.
Romans 12:2 (NLT)
“Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”
To reach what is good, perfect, and pleasing… involves transforming our perceptions. In this case it may mean deciding that the magazines really don’t offer a clue as to who we really are.
It means that in a world barraged by images… I won’t let any other image define me other than the image of God.
LOOK AT YOURSELF THROUGH THE LENS OF GOD’S LOVE
2. See how your Creator God sees
Samuel is in the role of helping discern Israel’s king… and in regards to one outwardly impressive candidate..
1 Samuel 16:7 (NLT)
“…the Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
God sees what lies within us… and calls us to see beauty from the inside out.
Have you ever been struck by someone’s outward attractiveness… only to find that beauty lost after you get to know them? Maybe you can relate to the waitress played by Helen Hunt in the movie: As Good As It Gets, when she says to the grumpy customer played by Jack Nicholson, “You know, when you first came in here, I thought you were handsome. But then you opened your mouth.”
You see beauty is an inside out thing. We can find a couple examples in the history of Israel found in the Bible..
Esther -
In the O.T. we find the story of another Esther. The Bible says she was beautiful – all the way to the bone. In Esther 2, it says her physical beauty opened a door for God to use her inner beauty to save the Jewish race from genocide. It’s interesting that it her outer beauty is mentioned only once in the book while several verses talk about her courage, leadership, wisdom, and compassion.
Absalom -
Now contrast that with another beautiful person found in O.T. – Absalom. Have you ever heard of him? He was one of King David’s sons.
“… in all Israel there was not a man handsome like Absalom. From the sole of his foot even to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him.” - 2 Sm. 14:25
No doubt he could have graced the cover of People magazine. Yet what defined his life was the lack of beauty within - on the inside he was prideful, arrogant, rebellious, and violent. He betrayed his own dad to steal the throne. Absalom may have been physically stunning, but was ugly within.
The point is that God sees the whole person… and that a person’s beauty is holistic… a reflection of their totality. He doesn’t reduce us to mere bodies to be judged. .
No where is this more notable than when God became incarnate… in the very nature of Christ. Did he come to show us what the truest of humanity can become? Yes... and what body did he bear?
Isaiah 53:2 (NLT)
“There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance, nothing to attract us to him.”
To reclaim our true identity… we are going to have to see how God sees.
Listen to how the apostle Peter declares it…
1 Peter 3:3-4 (MSG)
“What matters is not your outer appearance—the styling of your hair, the jewelry you wear, the cut of your clothes— but your inner disposition. Cultivate inner beauty, the gentle, gracious kind that God delights in.”
These can be potentially life-restoring words.
To be clear… they didn’t imply that we shouldn’t style our hair.. or find cool clothes… but rather that we should not depend on these things. It says that our attractiveness should come primarily from the inside.
The point is NOT that we should ignore our appearance at all. The point is that if we want to look for real beauty, we should be looking beyond and beneath our outward appearance.
LOOK AT YOURSELF FROM THE INSIDE OUT
Look within and discover who you are.
Just as a mirror serves to reveal the outer person, God’s character and revelation is the mirror of the condition of the inner man. If you choose to ignore God’s Word in exchange for a glass mirror that only reflects the outer person, then you’re destined to have your identity stolen.
So here’s a little fashion tip from God himself…
Colossians 3:12-14 (MSG)
“So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It’s your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it.”
There’s a trend for the new season of your life that will never go out of style.
I think we could help each other by saying, “Wow! You look great in humility!” “Man, your hot in compassion.” “That gentleness fits you well.”
> I think we could help each other see how God sees, and what really beauty is.
3. Love what your Creator God loves… people
God loves people… PERIOD. It is personhood that bears sacred worth… not bodily form itself.
Some of you have been discovering this more deeply as you have cared for an aging parent… helping to carry… to clip toes… to complete bodily functions. What we find ourselves relating to is who we experience the person to be… what’s within. There lies the person that really matters… the a worth that has matured past it’s outward appearance.
It’s the kind of truth that can be discovered when one travels with a team to the more rural and remote parts of the world. As they love the people they meet… often with far less to put on in appearance… they themselves soon care far less about outward appearance… because life drawing them closer to what matters.. the inner humanity… the God bearing image… that is sacred and beautiful. Everyone relaxes… feels more free from pretense.
Something seems to get set right… a freedom is experienced… and we feel more whole.
The prophet declared just such a way for life…
Isaiah 58:6-8 (NIV)
“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter-- when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.”
When we transcend relating merely through outward appearance… and love people as persons… we find healing of our own condition… we become more human.
Of course we can only love others as we love ourselves. As we see ourselves as God sees us… value… from the inside out… we will be free to love others in the same way.
GOOD NEWS… as we allow Christ to illuminate our lives… to change us… we truly increase in the beauty of God’s image being revealed.
2 Corinthians 4:16-18 (ESV)
“Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.”
2 Corinthians 3:18 (ESV)
“And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.
In those words lies liberating truth. Our bodies will deteriorate …. Yet if the Spirit of God is allowed to be at work… something else is improving… becoming more beautiful.
What do you see when you look in the mirror? Do you see yourself defined by that outer appearance…and feel a desperation to fix it up in order to be loved? Or do you see a life that is growing within… day by day?
God is inviting us into a life in which we are getting better looking every day.
(This message was drawn and adapted from Mike Breaux’s “Identity Theft” and others drawing upon it including Joseph Rogers. There is plenty of fresh thought and development of themes… but much from Mike’s original thoughts and words.)
