Seeking perfection

This blog is going to serve as a dual message, something I think about often. Say this out loud as you read it: too fat or too skinny, too smart or too dumb, too pretty or too ugly, not educated enough, know too much… Everything that surrounds us in the world serves as a measuring stick. When we watch tv we are subconsciously measured against whomever is on tv. We look at magazines, the internet, read books, listen to music. Everything tells us we need more, we have to do better, look better, etc.

I am all for taking care of our bodies, they’re the only ones we’re going to have on earth. We might as well take care of them, right? But to what end? In this age, we have drugs, plastic surgery, gyms, personal trainers and the like, all at our disposal. We are in an age of seeking perfection. It’s in our food. It’s in our bodies. Our homes. Our children. At what expense?

Our food is slowly killing us, we sought the perfect seed and the perfect crop. Through all this seeking we have found it but the perfection is killing us and causing a whole slew of new diseases and allergies. If you don’t believe me, do the research yourself. It’s called GMO. It’s a twisted world we live in.

Our dear children… What precious little beings they are. Some parents press their do better pressure onto their children. I’m not talking about encouraging them to do their best, I’m talking about ridiculous expectations. I’m talking about crushing their self-esteem because they didn’t finish the way we wanted them to. Or get the grades that we have pushed them to. Or the simple mistakes they make, the kind that are so obvious to us as adults but we tend to forget they are kids. Oh the words that we speak… have we forgotten that those thoughts ring through their little minds over and over again. Not to mention the pressure they get from their peers in school.  

Our bodies… Well, the truth is, after the fall, they became prone to breaking down after time. God has set heaven in the hearts of men, (women too) therefore we seek to find heaven here on earth, even in our bodies too. Our bodies are what I will reference as a temporal mobile living vessel. When “they” say it’s what’s on the inside that counts, it’s truer than anyone of us could possibly know.

On earth, we strive to look our best. Plastic surgery; working out, dieting, drugs. I am all for living a healthy lifestyle. But the body I will have when I leave here is the one I’m most looking forward to! I will have a body like Christ’s. Perfect. Beautiful. Indestructible. The way God had originally intended it. If you’re not planning on going to heaven, then by all means- pump yourself with plastic, take the drugs and diet until your heart’s content.

 Unfortunately, some folks don’t know how to get to heaven. It’s more politically correct to tell you that everyone goes to heaven. But I’d be lying if I said that were true. Jesus is the only way to heaven. He is the narrow pathway, He is the good shepherd. He came to this earth to save the lost. If you don’t have a friendship with Jesus yet, do so. No one is too far gone for Him. No one is too bad. Or you don’t have to become a better person before you get to know Him. All you have to do is ask. Ask Him to come live in your heart and you will spend eternity in His paradise. It’s the coming to terms with needing Him that is necessary. We all need Him. God designed us to live in communion with Him. That should explain that deep longing we have, even when we have all that one could possibly ask for. And that body that most everyone is seeking so hard to find will be given to you upon your arrival in heaven.

                While we’re here we need to speak the truth in love to our children. We need to put the right food in our bodies. Yes, I know, organic food costs more money. But you feel so much better eating it. And our bodies. God’s finest design. We were the last of things He created. The cherry on the sundae. Our bodies are beautiful no matter how big or small. How smart we are, what degrees and schooling we have. It just doesn’t matter. In the grand scheme of things, it doesn’t matter. Make the right decisions now and walk with the Lord each day. He will never leave your side. Spending eternity in your indestructible heavenly body with Jesus, It’s worth every sacrifice there may be. Life is but a blink of an eye held against the backdrop of eternity.