To bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes. The oil of gladness instead of mourning and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.
Isaiah 61:3b
Does it just seem odd to write a devotion that begins with the words Anna Nicole Smith? Ever since her death on February 8th 2007 if you turn on a television, listen to the radio or read a news paper you are inundated by her story in the news. Culture is more a part of us than we know. But we are used to that now aren’t we. Having the styles and trends of people like Anna Nicole Smith, Paris Hilton and Brittany Spears. Our kids try and look like them, they tell us what is cool (many of us are not listening), they define beauty for a generation. Last week I was trying to read my Bible and listen to CNN on television at the same time. An older gentleman setting a couple of chairs away from me turned and commented on the CNN report about Anna Nicole Smith who was shown slurring her speech at the American music awards presentation – “Man what a waste.”, he said. I agreed with him, but we were talking about two different things. He went on to say, “To have a girl so beautiful and hot and then die so young.” I was not thinking of her as beautiful at all, I was thinking about the tragedy of her life. Who tells us that Anna Nicole Smith is beautiful or Paris Hilton and Brittany Spears. Culture teaches us and our children more than we know about life. It tells us the food that tastes good, the style of clothing we should buy, and the music we should enjoy. The American Heritage Dictionary defines culture as the totality of socially transmitted behavior. The amplified Bible describes Acts 7:22 as saying, “Moses was educated in all the wisdom and culture of the Egyptians, and he was mighty (powerful) in his speech and deeds.” Today we are all educated to some degree or another in pop culture. Pop culture permeates Muslim society and Christian alike. A generation ago, Italian philosopher, Theodore Adorne predicted this in his book, The Industry of Culture. He argued that in such a situation, the lowest common denominator of culture will spread through out the world.
I have two daughters and they are both beautiful. As they were growing up, I would often say to them, “Wow, God made you beautiful!” Their mother Jackie would always correct me. I know that may come as a shock but it is true, Jackie does correct me from time to time. She would say, “Now dad, we value beauty in charter and intelligence far above beauty that is only skin deep.” To which I would say, “That too.” But Jackie was right, today when I see my daughters they just sparkle because they love the Lord, and they have a strength about them that is amazing. They are compassionate, idealistic, fun to argue with, and very creative in everything they do. They have character beyond anything I could have ever imagined. They are each an original masterpiece and yes, they are beautiful. Some of you might remember my story about using our family computer when instant messaging was still a novelty. I really didn’t know what it was, when on the screen came this message. “Why hello beautiful, how are you doing today?” I recognized the name as a young man in our youth group that was stricken by one of my daughters. I answered him, much to his embarrassment. “This is not beautiful, this is her father pastor Tim.” But as I chuckled and went up-stairs to tell Jackie the story I thought, he’s right, my daughter is beautiful. As I watch the stories of America's pop icons, I can’t help but pray that lots of kids follow a different path to a deeper kind of multi-dimensional beauty.
Your friend for the rest of my life,
Tim White
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