Image

Two articles in the papers this week caught my attention: one was about Cerrie Burnell, the CBeebies presenter with no right forearm; the other was about Gail Trimble, the cleverest contestant on University Challenge. Both articles highlighted that these two women have been the object of the most outrageous comments, simply because their 'image' isn't what people want to see.

Parents complained about Burnell saying their children would be 'scared' by her, rather than seeing it as an opportunity to explain disability. Trimble was offered a makeover and photo shoot from 'Nuts' and was tarnished a 'horse-toothed snob' just because she didn't want to expose herself to a men's magazine. Both these incidents highlight how shallow our society is. Not only do we see a perfect, ideal image of women and men portrayed in films, billboard posters and all kinds of media, we see less than ideal people torn to shreds in the same public medium.

It is so easy to judge people on their appearance. It's a great thing that God doesn't- He judges on the heart (1 Sam 16:7). So often we become obsessed with how we look, as a means of winning love and attention from others as well as success in our profession. But we can't 'win' love from God. He gives His love as a gift of grace- it's not something anyone can earn.

As Christians, we need to find our assurance in this, and stop worrying about the way we look. It's more important to cultivate love and kindness than to spend our time cultivating our image. (See 1 Peter 3:3-4) Let's remember Jesus: He was born in an obscure village, never wrote a book or became President, but His impact upon the world is unequalled and unparalleled. If we truly want to make an impact upon our society, we need to stand out by the way we live, not the way we look.