First off, I am mainly addressing women in this blog. I know a lot of people take “selfies” now a days. I guess it’s o.k. to “approve” of how you look but I’m from a generation where we did not take selfies. Of course we didn’t have cell phones back then, but we did have cameras. We did not hold the camera up in front of our face and take a picture. That would have been considered vain. We did have others take pictures of us and a friend once in a while, but it was usually to have memories of the good times we were having. Not to show how good we looked or how sexy we were. If your selfie is to show your are losing weight, then it is good you are being healthy. But does everyone else have to see your stomach or buttock? Can you wait for people to compliment you or do you have to post for everyone to see? Philippians 2:3 of NIV bible says, “Do nothing our of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather in humility value others above yourselves.” The same verse in the NLT bible says it this way, ” Don’t be selfish, don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves.” “Ugly” women deserve the same respect as “beautiful” women. I wonder if we sometimes, unknowingly make some people feel less valuable than they are with all our social media posts and selfies? God created us all equal and He loves us all, even when we might not feel it.
I had a thought the other day. I’m sure there are no mirrors in heaven. We will be there to praise God. We won’t be looking at ourselves, or taking selfies. Which raises the question, “What is more important, how we look on the outside or how we look on the inside?” Of course we need to take care of our health and part of that is watching our weight. But I hope we put as much effort into how our souls look as we do our hair, makeup, nails and body. We can’t take pictures of our souls, but if we could, would they look beautiful? The bible says in Galatians 5:22 “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” Let’s keep in step with the Spirit. Chapter 5:26 of Galatians says, “Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.” Let’s show our kindness, humility and generosity.
Maybe one way to do this, would be, instead of taking a selfie, call someone that needs encouragement, or say a prayer for someone you know needs it, or write a quick note to someone who is ill. Pick up some flowers for an elderly person in your neighborhood, hold a door for someone behind you, smile at a child, you get the idea. Of course, these do take longer than taking a selfie does but we need to remember to treat other people the same as we treat ourselves. Or even better. Jesus was our example. He came to love and serve. He expects us to do the same. Jesus told us in Mark 12:31 NIV to “Love your neighbor as yourself, There is no commandment greater than these.”
So ladies, I’m glad you all are “looking good” but youth doesn’t last and the next time you look in the mirror, remember that there are no mirrors in heaven.
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