By Fritz Springmeier <springmf@spiritone.com>
http://educate-yourself.org/cn/fritzrediscoveryofbeauty12feb03.shtml
Feb. 2, 2003
It has been said that what is beautiful is good, and who is good will also
soon be beautiful. Something to ponder as we are scared to death by all these
emotional holocausts happening around us. Life is full of beautiful possibilities.
Life today exudes and broadcasts beauty in the midst of tragedy and unreality.
Are we tuned in to beauty?
Beautiful Kate Winslet (of Titanic movie fame) made the news by telling
a British magazine that redrew her photo using computer software (without
her permission) that she didn't want her body redrawn to look like a Twig.
"This is me. Like it or lump it. I'm not a twig, and I refuse to be one.
I'm happy with the way I am."
Hollywood's meat market has convinced many young women that their natural
body is ugly. Those who want a return to the sanity of bygone eras, when
a woman could be herself and be appreciated, should applaud Kate Winslet's
stand. After all, beanpoles are not the only beautiful thing in the garden
of humanity.
The issue, of course, runs deeper and butts up against an important spiritual
issue raised by the Word of God. Christ pronounced a bunch of woes to people
who cleaned the outside of a cup, but left the inside dirty. People who he
said "outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy
and iniquity." (cf. MT 23:25-28, LK 11:39) 2 COR 10:7 talks about how men
look on outward appearances. And we read John's gospel, which quotes Christ
teaching us, "Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous
judgment."
In fact, many centuries before Christ, YHWH told one of his prophets, "the
Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but
the Lord looketh on the heart." 1 SAM 16:7b
Beautiful Kate Winslet is not the only person or thing at issue here. Everyone
and everything we see is at issue here. Our joy and happiness is at issue
here. Life is life. We must take the good with the bad, and the bad with
the good. And what is perplexing is that we really seldom know for sure how
to frame something, good or bad, beautiful or ugly. Many of us resolve our
doubts by following the crowd. If the crowd says it's beautiful, then it
must be. And if they say it's ugly, it must be.
Some of my readers may remember the story I retell about the well-to-do farmer
whose plow horse ran away. The villagers said how terrible this was, but
he simply replied, "Maybe". A few days later the horse returned and brought
two wild horses with it. Everyone rejoiced at the farmer's good fortune,
but he just said, "Maybe." His son got his leg broke when he tried to break
one of the wild horses the next day. The locals offered their sympathy for
his misfortune, but he simply said, "Maybe." The story continues in this
way, showing us that events can be reframed as time advances.
I remember I was teased as a kindergartener for being skinny as a stick.
Now, I'm rather glad that I was always on the slim side, as I have not slipped
into being obese and have not had to deal with health problems associated
with being overweight. If hard times come, I may wish that I had more fat
on my ribs. Do you see the point from God's vantage point? Ultimately, there
are deeper issues at stake in what is beautiful than short-term appearances.
So consider the following news items: are they good or bad? Is life all duty
and no beauty, or can we see the beauty with our duty?
ITEM A. From New York & Brussels, January 29, 2003 - Coinciding with
the much-anticipated U.N. report on weapons inspections in Iraq, an international
group of Citizens Inspectors faxed a startling report to all members of the
U.N. Security Council in New York. The report gives very clear evidence of
the secret and illegal deployment of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) by
the United States at its NATO bases in The Netherlands. It condemns the blatant
use of double standards by the UN Security Council concerning WMD. The United
States is violating Articles I & II of the nuclear Non-Proliferation
Treaty by storing nuclear weapons in non-nuclear states. Meanwhile a European
poll shows that most people consider the U.S. under George Bush the biggest
threat to world peace. Perhaps in response to all the opposition (such as
world-wide anti-war protests) to his war mongering, Bush publicly endorsed
a plan for Saddam Hussein to accept exile as a way to get him out of leadership.
Of course, no one knowing Hussein could seriously believe that he would ever
step down. Hussein might as well offer George Bush the same proposal while
we are all listening to proposals that haven't a chance of being accepted.
Item B. The establishment media and Oregon's government tried to scare voters
into voting for a three-year income tax increase. They tried to blackmail
Oregonians by saying that schools and other essential services would have
to be cut. The Libertarian party ran a campaign where they pointed out that
the government is spending money on many extra superfluous unneeded things.
They should trim out the waste before they trim out the essentials. The voters
on Jan. 28, 2003 listened to the libertarian campaign and voted down the
tax increase. The state of Oregon responded by releasing dangerous criminals
from prison, cutting back the number of school days (up to 24 school days),
firing state police, cutting back state aid to elderly and handicapped people
and so forth. In other words, following through on their blackmail. Meanwhile
many wasteful silly or bad programs will continue. Rather than trim fat,
the state trimmed muscle from the budget in an effort to repay voters for
not voting for higher taxes.
Item C. Sweden provided sanctuary for American bureaucrats, CIA and FBI agents
that are being intimidated by the tyranny of the U.S. government from telling
the truth. Since 9/11 many U.S. government officials have witnessed tampering
with evidence and 'adjusting' facts by the U.S. government to do what they
want. Afraid for their lives from their own tyrannical government, many of
these officials have fled to Sweden. The story is at http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0212/S00082.htm
Item D. The governor of Illinois got sick of the lack of honesty in the judicial
process. After discovering that numerous people on death row were actually
innocent, he eliminated everyone's death sentences on death row, and encouraged
the judicial system to start giving people genuine trials, instead of the
standard kangaroo courts where fake evidence and lying witnesses are used
to convict innocent people. Other states were encouraged to follow suit,
and may.
In line with my article, I am not labeling these stories as either good or
bad, and we certainly see elements of both in these recent stories.
Life is life. I think sometimes humanity creates many of their problems because
they simply think too much with their minds, rather than seeing God and His
beauty with their hearts. Look at the flowers and the birds. They don't whine
about unfairness. There is plenty of ruthless competition in the plant and
animal kingdoms. There is plenty of death and pain. But they are silently,
patiently, and gloriously there is all their beauty. A flower grows and blooms
and then wilts. It happens. We are born, we grow up, and hopefully blossom.
Some of us are plucked in the prime of our life. Can it all be understood
in terms of fairness and equality? No. Can we still exude a beautiful smile?
Yes. Is everything naturally beautiful and good? No. Nature has its storms
that are as cruel as man's wars. It also has its beautiful nights and beautiful
sunsets. On the other hand, even storms can have a beautiful side to them,
including rainbows.
And if the storms of life bring out the joy, goodness, patience, kindness
and generosity within us, have the storms not produced a wonderful rainbow
of the fruits of the spirit, whose beauty will adorn our lives and sparkle
through the fog of life? On the other hand, a group of people who were very
beautiful (EZE 16:12-14) made their beauty abhorred by their wickedness (EZE
16:25).
It has been said that what is beautiful is good, and who is good will also
soon be beautiful.
All information posted on this web site is
the opinion of the author and is provided for educational purposes only.
It is not to be construed as medical advice. Only a licensed medical doctor
can legally offer medical advice in the United States. Consult the healer
of your choice for medical care and advice.