We live in a dissatisfied culture. Did you know that according to a survey 52.3% of Americans are dissatisfied with their job? According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, 15.6 million cosmetic procedures were performed on patients in 2014. One out of every ten people you see on an average day in America is being treated with antidepressant drugs. According to studies, antidepressants rank third in the list of most prescribed drugs by doctors.
We live in a selfish culture. When was the last time you passed by an adult who has Down Syndrome? According to statistics, somewhere near 90-92% of all pregnancies that test positive for Down Syndrome are aborted.
We live in a confused culture. The homosexual agenda in America is another proof that people are simply not satisfied with who they are. People refuse to be comfortable in their own skin. They would rather be homosexual than heterosexual to satisfy their flesh. A growing population of people are going through painful and costly transgender surgeries in order for men to become “women” and women to become “men.” They claim to be pursuing who they’re meant to be. In reality, they’re simply unhappy with who they are and how God created them.
Why are so many people unhappy with themselves? Could it simply be connected to their unhappiness with God?
God is Sovereign Over Your Physical Appearance
I once read somewhere that women spend two weeks per year working on their appearance. How we look matters to us. We spend a considerable amount of time before the mirror changing our hair styles, trying on clothes, and preparing to go out into public. The fact is, we simply are not satisfied with our appearance. Gyms are on every corner because some people want to bulk up. Others use gyms (or weight loss pills) to trim down. While there is nothing wrong with wanting to get in better shape or lose a few pounds, the reality is, we’re simply not satisfied with our appearance.
God created David to be handsome (1 Samuel 16:12), Samson to be strong (Judges 13:5; 16:16-17), but He likewise sent His Son to earth to become a man. In this process, Jesus became a human who was not handsome or brag worthy in the sense of human features (Isaiah 53:2). Jesus accomplished the saving mission of the gospel in a body that was not good to look upon. Contrary to the pictures we see of Jesus, He was not good looking nor was He a Caucasian man with long flowing brown hair. Why do we need cosmetic plastic surgery to “fix” our physical appearances? Are we dissatisfied with how God created us?
God is Sovereign Over Your Lot in Life
I never intended to be a pastor. I had big plans for my future. I was quite certain that I was going to find success. God had other plans for my life. He saved me shortly after graduating college and then placed in my heart this desire to preach and teach the Bible that was inescapable. I’ve had to battle through selfish thoughts of materialism when I see others buying boats, fancy cars, and vacation homes. I went to school with people who are far more successful in life than I am. But I must realize that God has a different plan for my life. I’ve learned to trust Him with my life.
Not everyone is wired to lead a business. Not every child (calm down grandparents) is geared to become the president of our nation. Part of life is learning who God intends for us to be and part of that involves our vocational choices. It would be wise to learn this from an early age and try to be satisfied with how God has gifted us. It’s a foolish and unwise practice to waste your life trying to walk in other people’ shoes. College isn’t for everyone. Not everyone will climb to the top of some vocational ladder. We must learn to be content in who we are and how God has designed us. Jerry Bridges, in his excellent book Trusting God, writes, “Who you are is not a biological accident. What you are is not a circumstantial accident. God planned both for you.” [1]
God is Sovereign Over Your Physical Disabilities
When Moses complained to God regarding his deficiencies as a public speaker, God responded with a very important statement. He said, “Who has made man’s mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the LORD” (Exodus 4:11)? The world of science often tries to explain physical disabilities by the chromosome numbers and biological traits or scientific theory. The fact remains, if one child is born blind or is later diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes, God is responsible for this. God intends to use all physical traits – both strengths and disabilities – for His glory (John 9:1-3).
Has it ever occurred to you that no disease or physical disability catches God by surprise? Is a dwarf to live in perpetual depression because he will never be 6 feet tall? Is a blind lady to waste away in depression because she will never see the light of the sun? Is a young man who was born with a debilitating disease that severely limits his physical body to live in a constant state of depression because he will never play college football? Learning to be satisfied with who you are is based on your satisfaction with God. Are you satisfied with God?
Physical strength and disabilities both come from God. Intellectual strengths and learning disabilities find their source in God. For a man to possess the ability to be a gifted business man, his gifts come from God. For a woman to find her calling in the home with her children does not make her any less important than some Fortune 500 business tycoon. Our steps are ordained by God (Proverbs 20:24). Our days are numbered by God (Psalm 139:16; Job 14:5). Our physical bodies were created by God (Psalm 139:13).
We must learn to trust Him in our strengths and in our weaknesses. We have trouble being comfortable in our skin because we have trouble trusting God. We look at people as deformed or inconveniences, so we disrespect them or abort them. Our culture has missed it when it comes to life. All of life belongs to God. No matter who we are or how God created us, we must learn to do all we can in this life to bring maximum glory to God (1 Corinthians 10:31; Mark 12:30). Jerry Bridges writes:
We can trust God to guide us. He will lead us all the way. And when we stand before His throne we will not be singing about successfully discovering the will of God. Rather with Fanny Crosby we, too, will sing, “Jesus led me all the way.” [2]
- Trusting God, 177.
- Ibid., 184.
