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.

"I'll keep holding on"

Simply Red's song 'Holding Back the Years' has a seemingly positive chorus- 'I'll keep holding on'- but in the context of the whole song, it is more melancholy, as the mood of the song suggests:

Holding back the years,
Thinking of the fear I've had for so long.
When somebody hears,
Listen to the fear that's gone.
...

Chance for me to escape from all I know.
Holding back the tears.
There's nothing here has grown.
I've wasted all my tears,
Wasted all those years.
Nothing had the chance to be good,

Nothing ever could, yeah.
I'll keep holding on.'

The song has a poignant message of fear, sadness and waste, but a stoical resilience despite these things. Reading the first five books of the Old Testament, the Pentateuch, and it's easy to apply these same sentiments to God's relationship with Israel. He led them out of slavery in Egypt, to the borders of the promised land, and they did not have enough faith to claim it. So He led them around the wilderness for forty years, during which they repeatedly rebelled against Him. Moses' speeches in Deuteronomy show a nation poised to enter the promised land, finally, and he exhorts them to love and obey God so that they live and prosper.

But the message Deuteronomy gives is not of a rather helpless God, who stands in the background moping and regretting all those 'wasted' years. Rather, the God of the Pentateuch is a God of power, might and control. God hardened Pharoah's heart so that He could display magnificent signs and wonders to release Israel from Egypt. God wanted to test and humble Israel in the desert for forty years so that His mighty provision (manna from heaven, water from the rock) could be displayed, and they would become totally dependent on Him.

It was, indeed, a tragedy that the people so easily forgot God's goodness to them. It was a terrible thing that they slipped into idolatry and ended up being scattered and sent into exile. But none of this took God by surprise. He already had planned to send His Son Jesus, to live the perfect life that none of us, not even the Israelites who saw the plagues and the Red Sea parted and manna from heaven, could live. Jesus always obeyed God, and only His death on the cross can pay for our sins.

You see, none of God's punishments upon Israel (in the wilderness or the exile) signified Him giving up on them. He does 'keep holding on' to His people, remaining faithful to His promises. But the message of the Old Testament is that WE need to keep holding on to God, and stay faithful and obedient to Him- otherwise we'll find ourselves in a spiritual wasteland.

Boys and Girls Alone- the subject of childhood

Channel 4's programme has sparked off a public debate about how we should treat children in our society.

The four-part series was based around the Big-Brother concept of placing 20 children aged 8-11 in a cottage and filming the result. What is the result? Tears and fights, and an outcry from paediatricians, psychiatrists and politicians.

At the heart of the debate lies the obvious but sometimes overlooked fact that children are not adults. They need the protection of adults, and when they are exploited, the world recognises that this is wrong.

'Children of this age are not in any position to make an informed choice about participation; and in pandering to the worst excesses of fame and celebrity in this way, children are yet again being treated as if they are "mini-adults"' -Dr Richard House, Senior Lecturer in Psychotherapy, Roehampton University, quoted in The Times on Saturday 14th February.

What does the Bible say about childhood? Well, they are to be looked after, disciplined and trained by their parents- the first section of Proverbs is a father's wise words to his son, setting an example for parents to follow.

But the Bible does not advocate that children are too young to make an 'informed choice' about God. In fact, Jesus uses children as a model of faith for adults:
'I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.' (Matthew 18:3)

Is this because becoming a Christian is about being naive? Not at all! It is because becoming a Christian is about receiving God's free gift of salvation, not trying to earn it through your own merit. If you offer a child something valuable, they rarely say no! If you offer an adult, they begin to try to pay you, or make it up to you in some other way. Adults thrive on self-sufficiency, and it's exactly this attitude that keeps us far from God.

Children can also be an example of why we need God. You don't need to teach a child how to be selfish, cruel, or proud. Why? Because these things are human nature. Children are not innocent. They are sinners and accountable for their sins- this is why we need to teach them, from an early age, to come to Jesus for forgiveness. The consequences of neglecting to do this can be dire.

One sobering example of Scripture is that of Manasseh. He was 12 when he became king, and he 'did what was evil in the Lord's sight'. He led the people to do 'even more evil than the pagan nations whom the Lord had destroyed when the Israelites entered the land' (2 Kings 21:1-2, 9). One wayward son led a whole nation astray. How can we avoid this? By protecting our children, and making them responsible for the choices they make.