Sunday – Poetry

Reading – Song of Solomon 1-2

Highlight Verse:

“Don’t stare at me because I am dark— the sun has darkened my skin. My brothers were angry with me; they forced me to care for their vineyards, so I couldn’t care for myself—my own vineyard.”
‭‭Song of Songs‬ ‭1‬:‭6‬ ‭NLT‬‬

My Anthropology professor in college had been a missionary among the indigenous people in Indonesia.

On of the few things I remember from his classes was what the tribal men found most attractive in women.

Thick ankles.

Yes, you read that right. Women with thick ankles were thought to be strong and able to help well with the daily work of survival.

How romantic!

As you read through this, the most romantic book of the Bible, it is clear that the “young man” finds the “young woman” to be the most beautiful in the land.

She doesn’t seem to think so.

But she obviously had some qualities that the young man found very attractive.

We Americans tend to have a very warped view of beauty.

Popular models tend to have tiny waistlines and seductive curves.

Our culture values covering up any imperfections.

The cosmetics industry is huge.

Cosmetic surgery is one of the most lucrative businesses around.

If I’m honest, it makes me angry.

I’m not saying you should never use make-up or that you should feel bad for having cosmetic surgery.

But I am saying God made you beautiful already.

God created us with infinite variety – each beautiful in our own way.

While we should strive to keep our bodies healthy, we should not change our bodies to conform to some arbitrary cultural norm.

If you struggle with your body image, please hear me – God made you beautiful.

He is the ultimate artist.

He designed each person to reflect Himself in some unique way.

As we read through this book, put yourself in the place of the beloved and realize that, in a way,

this book is God’s love letter to you.

Have you struggled with trying to conform with your culture’s ideas of beauty?
Do you have any idea how beautiful God sees you?