Today’s Scripture Reading (February 24, 2017): Jeremiah 6
We chase after beauty. But the truth is that we are shaped by genetics. We may desire to have the outward appearance of someone that we see on the front of our favorite magazine. But the reality is that unless that is your mother and father on the front of that magazine – well, you will resemble more of them than your magazine dream. There is a reason Aunt Sally keeps on telling you how much you like your mother – you really do.
Beauty – the beauty that we are sometimes obsessed with – is often a misplaced dream. We never recognize beauty in ourselves (it is too easy to dwell on what we believe to be are our faults) and the beauty that we seem to chase after is usually born out of indulgence. The beautiful seem to have to live a life of privilege in order to be beautiful.
The Bible draws a solid line between the beauty that comes out of pleasure and a beauty of strength born out of a solid personal character. The character that is beautiful always wins – it is more likely to persevere and more likely to do the right thing even in times of intense persecution. Biblically, this is the beauty that really matters
Jeremiah speaks to a people that have become beautiful by following after pleasure. And his message is that they are totally unprepared for what is about to happen to them. The battle that lies just ahead threatens their very existence, but they do not have the strength or character to resist because the pursuit of pleasure has weakened them. We don’t like discipline – but discipline prepares us for the struggle. And what Jeremiah saw in the future was struggle.
An old saying states that if you are not in a struggle right now – you either are just emerging from one or about to go into one. The truth in the saying is that our journey is made up of both hard and easy times. Essential to being able to successfully navigate life is a beauty that results from character - a beauty that won’t let us down when the going gets rough.
Struggle is natural and strength is earned. Because there will always be an element of struggle in our lives, we really need the strength.
Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 7
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