Ministries

The promotion of self-identity and self-admiration through media have prodded people to place much of their attention on the outward appearances than on the inward beauty. Children and teens are more vulnerable as the trend has made them feel less contented and pleased with the way they look. The rapid growth of the plastic surgery industry signifies that a great number of people in this era embrace the unnatural beauty trend with open arms 1.

The Culture of Upgraded and Unnatural Beauty

The pursuit of natural beauty has always been here, but the quest for the unnatural has been reinforced powerfully by media and society collectively in the past few decades. South Korea is fast becoming the world’s top destination for people contemplating on having some procedures done on their bodies. The primary reason for the success of this industry 2, is the continual reinforcement of themes of “insecurity, social awkwardness, and body awareness. These themes are resonated deeply within South Korea, where children are bred to be brilliant, in both studies and appearance”. A very important question arises: How could children and teens who don’t belong to families with financial capabilities deal with such tremendous pressures?

Bridging the Gap Through an Open Dialogue

Having an open dialogue with children and teens on any issue of life is very essential. In doing so, we create and facilitate opportunities for children to reason and understand. Rationalizing is a God-given gift to every child, but experienced adults must nurture and guide these young minds to make sensible decisions.

Let Us Reason with Our Children

The Bible is God’s Given Directives: Although the Bible does not provide us with a definite answer with regards to cosmetic surgery, we can still find God’s word directing us towards rational choices. Proverbs 1:4 implies that the beginning of knowledge is “to give prudence to the simple…” Prudence means a areful analysis of the options available before making any decision.

The Motivation of Undergoing Any Beauty Enhancement

The Bible does not specifically say that God is displeased with cosmetic surgery or with beauty enhancement of any kind. However, the purpose of plastic surgery, if we consider it a go-option, has more to do with what we “need” and not what we “want.” We certainly need to have our noses – disfigured due to an accident – fixed, and our gigantic moles removed from our faces as they could turn cancerous. Thus, there are times when we need to have corrective procedures for abnormalities resulting from defects at birth, health conditions, or accidents” 3.

The Fulfillment of Emotional Need

Children must realize that the desire for emotional fulfillment that comes from social approval and positive public recognition is common to all of us. Through social media, we value the instant approval and outward positive gestures of people. It is hard for a person to feel worthy and contented in this world’s perspective. If approval is continually found lacking, he or she might be driven towards emotional voids, dissatisfaction, and a sense of worthlessness. Living in such a mindset is never healthy. We might ask our children this hard question: Do we really need to be outwardly beautiful in order to feel good about being God’s children?

Physical Beauty is Unique, Diverse and Incomparable

While we believe in uniqueness and diversity in the creation of God’s intelligent designs, we are also trying hard to conceptualize and come up with the same beauty measures for outward appearances in countless beauty contests. God created various physical features even within the same racial origin. If children have not been facilitated to develop the sense of contentment, self-respect, and self-reliance, it is conceivable that these children and teens might not thrive successfully as mature Christians in the future.

God’s Warning and Reprimands

Christianity promotes appreciation of the inward and lasting kind of beauty. The world is offering the opposite, and people are being attracted by the instant recognition, feedback, and communication. Proverbs 31:30 reminds us that, “charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.” 1 Peter 3:3-4 adds, “Your beauty should not come from outward adornments…,

Rather, it should be that your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.”

By Beholding One Becomes Beautiful

True beauty is not deteriorated by time. Since beauty is unique in its kind in which the same measures cannot be applied, God applies the same assessment and measures for inward beauty. 1 Peter 3:3-4 tells us that such beauty is unfading and timeless as it comes from a person’s inner self – “gentle and quiet spirit.” Though society is leaving the natural and inborn beauty behind and fast embracing the cosmetic trend, God desires us His children to be consistently and inwardly beautiful. As our relationship gets more intimate with the Lord and our spiritual walk is closer to Him, we will be remodeled and changed by His glory (2 Corinthians 3:18). Inner beauty must have more significant value and should be of greater worth to children and teens everyone including God Himself because He “looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7).

Children Must Take Pride in Their Lineage

Although outward appearance undoubtedly has something to do with self-assurance, nevertheless, knowing that we have been created by God’s very biological pattern through our parents, we should find no necessity to look different and disregard what has been embedded in us through our genealogy. True and lasting self-confidence and self-satisfaction can only come from knowing God and having a constant intimate relationship with Him (Psalms 107:9).

Conclusion

The saying, “Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder,” reminds us that beauty is idiosyncratic and personal. What we consider attractive in a context might not be the same viewpoint in another. The Bible tells us that worldly charm is misleading, and outward beauty is short-lived; but “a woman who fears the

Lord is to be praised” (Proverbs 31:30). God wants us to be concerned with spiritual things and not the physical aspects of our being. “Therefore, we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day” (2 Corinthians 4:16). God sees us through Christ who reconciled sinners to Himself (2 Corinthians 5:18). Although our original beauty bestowed by God was

marred, yet through Christ’s redemptive act of sacrifice, He made it possible for us to reflect His beauty. Therefore, in God’s eyes, we are made perfect through Christ (Hebrews 10:14). Children should be guided to develop self-respect and self-reliance, and to place more focus and time on developing

the inward beauty. They must be led to the source of beauty which is Christ and to experience His power and love. He wants all of us and our children to continually say, “I am His child; therefore, I am happy to be me.”

References

3 Costhetics (September 10, 2011). The Difference between Plastic and Cosmetic Surgery. Retrieved from http://www.costhetics.com.au/news/the-difference-be-tween-plastic-and-cosmetic-surgery/

Human/Nature: Who is Ultimately Incharged? (n.d.) Plastic Surgery: Is it natural or unnatural? Retrieved on August 2, 2018 from http://web.colby.edu/humanslashnature/2015/12/01/plastic-surgery-is-it-natural-or-unnatural/

2 Stone, Z. (June 27, 2013). South Korean High Schoolers Get Plastic Surgery for Graduation: It is common to change one’s face in Korea. Retrieved from https://www.theatlantic.com/international /archive/2013/06/south-korean-high-schoolers-get-plastic-surgery-for-graduation/277255/

1 Yue, P. (August 9, 2017). About Face: China’s Plastic Surgery Market Grows Six Times Faster than Global Average. Retrieved from https://www.chinamoneynet-work.com/2017/08/09/about-face-chinas-plastic-surgery-market-grows-six-times-faster-than-global-average