Smoke And Mirrors

Smoke and Mirrors

Bible Blast: Read 1 Timothy 2:9-10

Sixty queens there may be . . . but my dove, my perfect one, is unique. Song of Songs 6:8-9 (NIV)

Since 1959 Barbie dolls have been thrilling girls all over the world. Barbie has done some amazing things over the years. She’s been a veterinarian, a cowgirl, a pediatrician, a businesswoman, and even an astronaut. There have been celebrity Barbies, Barbies from different countries, dancing Barbies, singing Barbies, and Barbies with wings.

As amazing as Barbie may seem, there’s one really big problem with her: her body.

Did you know that if Barbie were a real human, her neck would be nine inches long!? That’s one serious bobble-head! And her chest would be so incredibly gigantic that she wouldn’t be able to walk upright! Just imagine Barbie moving around the mall on all fours! Not very glamorous, right?

Barbie is fun to play with, but she represents a completely unrealistic picture of beauty. She’s made out of plastic. We can’t possibly look like Barbie, and God never wanted us to.

Unfortunately, Barbie is not the only standard of impossible beauty that you and I see. Remember how I described how the models’ pictures on the cover of fashion magazines have been changed by computer programs to make the models look “perfect”? I’m not just talking about getting rid of a zit or a wrinkle. They make their eyes bigger, their hair fuller, their legs skinnier, their lips poutier, and their teeth whiter. By the time that magazine hits the newsstands, the model may look entirely different than she does in real life!

The women you see on magazines and commercials and other places have been changed in order to trick you into believing they are perfect. The problem with that is it can make you believe that you need to look as perfect as they do, which is impossible because they way they look in those pictures is not even real.

Today’s focus verse reminds us that our beauty springs out of our uniqueness. The things about you that make you unique are the very things that make you beautiful.

Girl Gab: Mom, pick something out about your daughter that is unique. Tell her why that quality is part of her beauty. Daughter, you can do the same thing for your mom! Pray together that God can help you embrace how he created you to be unique.