"The Real Battle for Beauty"
A Jewish Wedding by Jozef Israëls
Donna O. Burnett, PhD, RD
Much of the battle with food centers on that of body weight, which has deeper roots in the issue of beauty. It is almost unnecessary to state that Western society is taken up with this issue, as valuing of people becomes linked to body weight. Shame covers the souls of many who feel they do not measure up, often shutting down movement toward God and others.
Shame also shuts down movement toward changes in lifetime eating and exercise habits that would improve physical and mental health, increase the sense of aliveness and connectedness with God and others, and result in a normalization of body weight for many individuals.
The Scriptures reveal that shame regarding our bodies is inevitable this side of heaven. Consider the following verses: “The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.” I Corinthians 15:42-44
These verses and the ones following confirm the reality of the Fall for us as individuals. This type of shame, if embraced, can move us toward God, as we look for a Covering for the body in much the same way as did Adam and Eve. If it is fought via increasingly determined efforts to shape and mold an imperfect body to one that appears perfect according to the prevailing standard set by man, the shame will be strengthened.
A different type of shame is a result of idolatry. One aspect of idolatry is granting someone else other than the Creator the ability to determine one’s worth. It is very difficult to stand before a person, group, or society as a whole that has attached a standard of perfection in regard to physical beauty to an assessment of personal worth, and reject that assessment of personal worth based on appearance. It is more difficult to remain in the sorrow of the rejection of others than it is to accept the assessment and try to meet it, or instead, to lash out against it. Sorrow can lead to a Comforter; worship of false gods always leads to shame.
Idolatry also encompasses the belief that one has the power to control life events if the world system of beauty is abandoned. Some women have expressed fear that if weight loss were to occur that placed them in the range of the current standard of beauty, the attention they would receive from men would be unbearable. This fear makes physical beauty dangerous and something to be avoided, either consciously or subconsciously.
Finally, idolatry includes the use of food as an anesthetic for the soul. Biochemical pathways make this possible for a short time, but ultimately, this approach fails to sustain the desired level of comfort. While God does offer food to us genuinely for comfort, such as in Jeremiah 16:7, when food is sought out on a regular basis for the kind of comfort that only the Holy Spirit can authentically provide, the use becomes idolatrous.
Much of the battle with food centers on that of body weight, which has deeper roots in the issue of beauty. It is almost unnecessary to state that Western society is taken up with this issue, as valuing of people becomes linked to body weight. Shame covers the souls of many who feel they do not measure up, often shutting down movement toward God and others.
Shame also shuts down movement toward changes in lifetime eating and exercise habits that would improve physical and mental health, increase the sense of aliveness and connectedness with God and others, and result in a normalization of body weight for many individuals.
The Scriptures reveal that shame regarding our bodies is inevitable this side of heaven. Consider the following verses: “The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.” I Corinthians 15:42-44
These verses and the ones following confirm the reality of the Fall for us as individuals. This type of shame, if embraced, can move us toward God, as we look for a Covering for the body in much the same way as did Adam and Eve. If it is fought via increasingly determined efforts to shape and mold an imperfect body to one that appears perfect according to the prevailing standard set by man, the shame will be strengthened.
A different type of shame is a result of idolatry. One aspect of idolatry is granting someone else other than the Creator the ability to determine one’s worth. It is very difficult to stand before a person, group, or society as a whole that has attached a standard of perfection in regard to physical beauty to an assessment of personal worth, and reject that assessment of personal worth based on appearance. It is more difficult to remain in the sorrow of the rejection of others than it is to accept the assessment and try to meet it, or instead, to lash out against it. Sorrow can lead to a Comforter; worship of false gods always leads to shame.
Idolatry also encompasses the belief that one has the power to control life events if the world system of beauty is abandoned. Some women have expressed fear that if weight loss were to occur that placed them in the range of the current standard of beauty, the attention they would receive from men would be unbearable. This fear makes physical beauty dangerous and something to be avoided, either consciously or subconsciously.
Finally, idolatry includes the use of food as an anesthetic for the soul. Biochemical pathways make this possible for a short time, but ultimately, this approach fails to sustain the desired level of comfort. While God does offer food to us genuinely for comfort, such as in Jeremiah 16:7, when food is sought out on a regular basis for the kind of comfort that only the Holy Spirit can authentically provide, the use becomes idolatrous.
In the same way that shame shuts down movement, it is truth that liberates and sets free. This truth comes to us as we encounter the words of our Lord, taking them into our heart as food for the soul. It comes to us through others, as the Spirit uses human vessels to communicate with us. Finally, it comes to us from the Spirit of God alive in us.
As we enter into the presence of God, exposed, God helps us to repent of determined efforts to change for other gods, to be worshipped ourselves, or to mar physical beauty for self-protection. Our faith is strengthened as we open our heart to him, revealing true feelings regarding our struggles here: “How long will you allow me to suffer?” As we open ourselves up to the control and comfort of the Holy Spirit, he enables us to follow through with changes in eating and exercise habits designed to make us more fully alive, and therefore more beautiful, and to lend comfort when false gods reject or when others ignore, misuse, or abuse the beauty that is presented for their enjoyment.
It is certain that the issue of physical beauty relative to body weight will continue to be an issue for a long time to come—for in it, Satan has found a way to cause tremendous dissatisfaction and contempt for people towards themselves, towards each other, and ultimately towards God. Actually, God is quite vague in his description of physical beauty in the Scriptures, and while there is mention of “special foods” being included in beauty treatments, such as for Esther, there is no mention that this was for the purpose of weight control. Probably those foods had to do with vitamins and oils for the skin and hair. Rachael was described as lovely in form, but we do not know what she looked like. Except to denote a blessing, the idea of being “made fat” is not a major issue in the Scriptures, though references to food are made extensively throughout.
As we enter into the presence of God, exposed, God helps us to repent of determined efforts to change for other gods, to be worshipped ourselves, or to mar physical beauty for self-protection. Our faith is strengthened as we open our heart to him, revealing true feelings regarding our struggles here: “How long will you allow me to suffer?” As we open ourselves up to the control and comfort of the Holy Spirit, he enables us to follow through with changes in eating and exercise habits designed to make us more fully alive, and therefore more beautiful, and to lend comfort when false gods reject or when others ignore, misuse, or abuse the beauty that is presented for their enjoyment.
It is certain that the issue of physical beauty relative to body weight will continue to be an issue for a long time to come—for in it, Satan has found a way to cause tremendous dissatisfaction and contempt for people towards themselves, towards each other, and ultimately towards God. Actually, God is quite vague in his description of physical beauty in the Scriptures, and while there is mention of “special foods” being included in beauty treatments, such as for Esther, there is no mention that this was for the purpose of weight control. Probably those foods had to do with vitamins and oils for the skin and hair. Rachael was described as lovely in form, but we do not know what she looked like. Except to denote a blessing, the idea of being “made fat” is not a major issue in the Scriptures, though references to food are made extensively throughout.
The lack of major reference to body weight is due to the fact that probably it was not much of an issue in Bible days, with the food supply much higher in fiber (unprocessed) and travel occurring mostly on foot or on an animal—which leads us back to the idea that if we eat mostly wholesome foods in accordance with physical (not emotional) needs, and get sufficient physical exercise (both of which require real effort in this society), the weight the body arrives at is what it should be (barring metabolic or other medical issues).
This naturally occurring body weight probably will not be that set forth as desirable in any culture, for one of our enemy’s purposes is to create a sense of hopelessness in the human heart. In setting forth a nearly impossible standard of beauty attached to an unnaturally low body weight and/or proportions for most women, and an unnaturally occurring physique for most men, he offers a false hope that if only this standard is reached, then the desired consequences will follow, such as love, acceptance, success, power, etc.
This naturally occurring body weight probably will not be that set forth as desirable in any culture, for one of our enemy’s purposes is to create a sense of hopelessness in the human heart. In setting forth a nearly impossible standard of beauty attached to an unnaturally low body weight and/or proportions for most women, and an unnaturally occurring physique for most men, he offers a false hope that if only this standard is reached, then the desired consequences will follow, such as love, acceptance, success, power, etc.
In all of the clamor to match these images plastered all over the media, and consequently the mind, the heart of man can easily forget that already we are loved fully and desired passionately by One who is with us now in Spirit, and will be with us later in Body. For Christians, it is this hope that makes us ultimately the most attractive to others—hope in the day when the One to whom we belong is the only thing that will matter and in a day when we, too, will be raised in glory, honor, and power because we will “see Him as He is.” In saying this, the desire for human love and acceptance here in our earthly existence is not dismissed, and this is where Satan hopes to interfere with relationships, as reality gives way to disappointment (I Corinthians 15:42-44) and the world system of acceptance based on appearance gives way to dissatisfaction, rejection, and pain for many. In a fallen world, this then becomes the battleground on which many of the issues of beauty and body weight are fought.
And yet, according to Dan Allender, Ph.D., it is hopeful people who create beauty, “because they are free to imagine what should be.” Hopeful people create beauty very personally and individually in how they present themselves, both in body and in spirit, to God and others. When we direct someone to truly hope, we create internal movement toward true beauty that can increase in measure here, and find its ultimate completion in heaven. This movement is rarely able to be calculated with calorie charts, for it is more a mystery than a formula. As believers, our ability to encourage this movement corresponds to our willingness to listen to each other and to our own willingness to hope and to create beauty.
And yet, according to Dan Allender, Ph.D., it is hopeful people who create beauty, “because they are free to imagine what should be.” Hopeful people create beauty very personally and individually in how they present themselves, both in body and in spirit, to God and others. When we direct someone to truly hope, we create internal movement toward true beauty that can increase in measure here, and find its ultimate completion in heaven. This movement is rarely able to be calculated with calorie charts, for it is more a mystery than a formula. As believers, our ability to encourage this movement corresponds to our willingness to listen to each other and to our own willingness to hope and to create beauty.
A Jewish Wedding by Jozef Israëls is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Based on a work at From Jewish Art, edited by Grace Cohen Grossman, ISBN 0-88363-695-6, page 146. Scanned with an HP ScanJet 6200C at 400DPI. Downsampled to half-resolution in The Gimp to get rid of moire effect, and saved as JPEG at quality 95..