What Would Mary Do: Holding the Flesh on High

Changing How You Look Will Not Change Your Mind 

I have listed below passages from the bible that talk about the sins of the flesh. And if you are a reader of the bible, you know there are many more, so many it causes one to wonder. I am a spiritual person and live my life by the laws of nature. So I don’t know about all the passages in the bible but there are ten things I do know about and they are listed in no particular order following these quotes.

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.

John 2:15-17 ESV

For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.

For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God.

For it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

Romans 8:5-8 NASB

The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: Sexual immorality, impurity, and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions, and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like.

I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Galatians 5:19-21 NIV

You have read the words of the bible now here is my list of what happens when you let thoughts of the flesh—your very own—cause you to think in a way that is harmful to you. How we think about how we look is the source of unhappiness for far too many. What you see here is the way it is and it is not pretty. These are some of the results of those who are searching for that unreachable goal: The make-believe world of beauty. This is what can and does happen.

Let me say, though, there is not a thing wrong with wanting to look your best. The key word here is “your” for you will never achieve the manufactured images you see in the magazines and in the media. It is not real. And you can only be the real you when you realize the truthfulness of these words. You have to listen to learn and learn to listen.

1. Insecurity and Low Self-esteem
2. Jealousy and Envy
3. False Pride
4. Vanity
5. Anorexia and bulimia
6. Anxiety and Depression
7. Expense (cost of makeup and cover up)
8. Skin Cancer
9. Breakups and Divorce (when looks change, as they surely will)
10. Rejection (yes, even some are disappointed with their new baby)
11. Added as a Bonus: Death by Murder or Suicide (“who you trying to look good for” “I just can’t take it anymore”)

This is not an inclusive list; you may add to it as you wish.

Women in the United States are spending over 7 billion dollars a year on cosmetics. And they are now taking increasingly drastic measures to alter their appearances through surgical means.

The amount of money spent on cosmetic surgery and non-surgical aesthetic procedures is increasing drastically among all women, including younger women and women of color. It is not complicated to me why. It all comes down to how you think. You have been conditioned to think you need it to look pretty and attractive to the opposite, and sometimes the same, sex. Well as far as men go, most really do not like it at all. They want the real you and your natural look, trust me, I know. A female does not need a thing on their face, or body, to be beautiful. It is the way God made you. But oh, that is not enough for way too many. Here is the problem.

What hurt some the most is when they think of what others might think of them. Then they try to change things about themselves. They try to change how they look, how they dress and how they do what they do. A Change in makeup will not change who you are. The Self is your makeup. It is the soul of a person, it is who you are and it does not change. New makeup is not what you need. An overhaul of how you think and how you feel is what you need. How you feel will change how you act and view the world around you.

Let how you act be the face that you show the world. Do not let how you look speak for you. It is only meant to be a compliment to who you are. Makeup and a getup will not keep you up. When how you act does not match your inner Self, it creates pressure. You have to try to act the way you look. The Self can only come out when the outside is in. How you feel, then, depends on how you look and it grows with time. It is how you think that does not allow you to be the real you. You have done too much when what you do cause you to act and look like who you are not.

Be the real you. The “you” we love.