In His Image
We are bombarded with images every waking moment of every day. Many people spend more time watching television than they spend interacting with their family members. Is it any wonder that our image of what is good and beautiful has gotten a bit off track?
So God created humankind in His image,
in the image of God He created them;
male and female He created them.
(Genesis 1:27)
Everywhere
we look today -- movies, TV, music videos -- we see what pop culture has
decided is beautiful. Female models, dangerously thin; male stars, rippling
with muscles -- parading through our lives, demonstrating what we should
strive to look like, act like, and be like.
Perfectly straight, dazzlingly white teeth are a given. Hair that looks excellent, even if they've just crawled out of bed after several hours of sleep, is commonplace too. These are all things that popular culture has held up as the norm. Aren't you like this, too? Aren't you perfect?
The thing we seem to forget is that those are two completely different questions.
What does the perfect person look like?
God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good. (Genesis 1:31)
Pop culture holds up certain people as being beautiful. When it comes to our physical appearance, we are asked, "Aren't you like this, too? Aren't you perfect?"
The answer to the first question is, most likely, "no."
The answer to the second question is a resounding, "Yes, I am perfect!"
We are all members of the human family, and God made us all in His image. He made us just the way He wanted us -- exactly the way we were meant to look. It is so very important for us to remember that fact, because in that regard, we are perfect.
That doesn't mean we can abuse our bodies. Nor does it mean that we can live an unhealthy life and claim to be doing what God intends. Our bodies are temples that house our souls, and that combination is what sets us apart from the rest of God's creations.
What do you look like on the inside?
.. .then the LORD God formed man from the dust of the ground,
and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living
being.
(Genesis 2:7)
"She's got a great personality."
"He's a really nice guy."
Unfortunately, we tend to equate these types of statements with people who aren't generally seen as physically attractive. It's as if having a "great personality" is nothing more than a consolation prize for not being what pop culture deems "pretty".
Why is that? Why do we put what's on the outside ahead of what's on the inside? Without our souls we would be nothing. We would not be the self-directing, self-aware creatures that God made us to be. So isn't what's on the inside the key? Shouldn't it be most important?
Instead of saying, "Well, he's not very good-looking... but he's a really nice guy," perhaps we should say, "He's a really nice guy ... you have to meet him!"
Our physical bodies are important, for God created them. But our souls set us apart. Our souls make us unique. Our souls animate our bodies, unifying the physical with the spiritual, and the whole package is "very good" -- and very beautiful.
Life Applications:
How would you describe your best friend to someone who had never met him
or her?
How would your best friend describe you to someone who had never met you?
Who is the most beautiful person you know?
By Brandon Jubar
From the Catechism:
Being in the image of God the human individual possesses the dignity of a person, who is not just something, but someone. He is capable of self-knowledge, of self-possession and of freely giving himself and entering into communion with other persons. And he is called by grace to a covenant with his Creator, to offer him a response of faith and love that no other creature can give in his stead. (CCC 357)
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