Junk? I think not!

I was recently made aware of a little boy with speaking and thinking problems who didn’t feel like life was worth living.  My immediate thought was he was probably being bullied because children can be cruel.  Of course, so can adults, and in many (if not most) cases, worse.  Somehow, however, it feels especially bad when it’s a child, because they don’t have the tools to mitigate the damage, like adults do.  But do adults really have that ability?

Wondering about that took me down the proverbial rabbit hole.  And, as an aside, that took me down another path.  Why do they say, ‘rabbit hole’ and not ‘rabbit burrow’, which is what the hole is technically named?  It’s an interesting question which I have no experience with since my pet rabbits had a bunny condominium in my bedroom that I built for them.  Ergo, no burrows (or holes) involved.  But (as usual) I digress.

At any rate, I can relate with feeling totally worthless.  I grew up hearing I was fat, stupid, ugly, lazy, and would never amount to anything.  And that was from a family member.  It took me enlisting into the Air Force to realize that wasn’t true.  It took me longer than that to conclude that God doesn’t make junk, so I did have value.

My rabbit hole excursion led me to discover that over half a billion dollars is annually spent worldwide on beauty products.  I shouldn’t even have had to research that since I’m a TV commercial watcher.  I love some of those thirty-second stories, although (truthfully) most of them are more irritating than entertaining.  Especially since the latest trend appears to be that lawyers find yelling necessary to be considered as someone I’d want to hire.

But if you do watch commercials, you’ll see several dozen a day (or hour) touting some sort of magic wrinkle reducer, makeup designed to make you look years younger, pills to increase your lifespan, or products for men to look younger than they are.  That last one really seems to be on the upswing lately.  Evidently there’s money in youthfulness.

If I were so inclined, I could get a tummy tuck, full-mouth implants, skin care cream to reduce those pesky wrinkles, and any sort of drug to improve my memory, energy, or sexual prowess.  In other words, in the space of an hour, I could watch commercials that, if I used their services, the companies could turn me into a twenty-six year-old hottie as opposed to my seventy-something oldie.  Yeah, not buying it.  I’ve earned every one of those wrinkles and every grey hair.  Like Mater in Cars, I don’t want my dents taken out.  They’re reminders of my life.

And it’s not just commercials.  I wish someone would explain to me why Facebook selfies and profile pictures seem to be more glamour shots than what the person really looks like?  My profile picture is of Jody, my long-gone baby whose tongue is sticking out.  (And who I still miss!)  No way on God’s green earth would I post a profile picture of me with pouty lips looking like I was hoping a talent scout for a modeling agency was browsing Facebook and happened upon my picture.

We put too much emphasis on what’s outside and not what’s inside.  Okay, there’s a caveat to that statement.  I don’t know who decided that a heart should look like what you see on a Valentine’s Day card as opposed to what it actually looks like, but kudos to them!  In that case, outside is definitely better than inside.  But it’s not just our wrinkles that’s made fun of.

Got a speech defect?  Prepare yourself!  You’re a prime candidate for harassment.

Wear glasses?  Been called ‘four eyes’ yet?  Been told that ‘guys don’t make passes at girls who wear glasses’ yet?  I can personally attest to the fact that’s not true.

Got a limp?  Been called ‘Chester’ yet?  Okay, that one really dates me!  For those of you younger than me (which is just about anyone) that’s a reference to Gunsmoke.

Overweight?  Don’t get me started on Charles Barkley’s comments about all the big women in San Antonio.

I could list more examples, but you get the picture.  If you are so inclined, you can probably find something to pick apart about any person you see walking by.  (Note: I’m not talking about people wearing striped shirts with checkered shorts or vice versa, sandals with socks, and a camera around their neck.  Those people deserve to be criticized!)

I guess what I’m trying to say is that we worry too much about what other people think.  And because we do, we end up thinking we’re garbage.  I don’t need anyone to tell me I need to lose a few (or more) pounds, but I also KNOW that fact doesn’t make me any less valuable in God’s eyes.  He still loves me, even if I am poofy.

What we need to do is stop internalizing every criticism.  You can have a ‘defect’ and still have a spectacular heart, (the kind inside, not the one on the card) and that’s a heck of a lot more important.  It really is what’s inside that matters.  That old sticks and stones adage was spot on.

So, the next time someone puts you down and you feel inadequate, just stop.  Stop feeling less than.  The proper response would be, “Thanks for your input, but not buying it.  God doesn’t make junk”.  Because I am who I am, I’d be tempted to add, “God loves you and I’m trying” although it would probably be better to just say, “God loves you” and leave it at that.

Bottom line?  It’s easy to say it’s what’s inside that matters, but it really is. Beethoven was deaf yet composed the most beautiful music.  Andrea Bocelli has the most glorious voice and he’s blind.  It’s widely believed Moses had a speech defect, yet he parted the Red Sea.  It’s also believed that Shakespeare had tremors and an eye disease and yet he’s still the most notable writer around.  The list is endless.

It’s what you do with what you’ve got that counts.  And no matter what you’ve got, no matter how small and insignificant you might believe you are, you might be the most important person in the world to someone else.  That alone makes life worth living.