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What's a Picture Worth to You?
In this day and age, many of us are making friends with people over the internet. A good number of these friendships are being fostered right here in community sites like this one. We share our interests, our talents, our beliefs, and exchange pictures. After awhile, we find ourselves growing close to our online friends, especially those who share our beliefs and interests. Without hearing our comrade’s voice or feeling their hand in ours, we have formed opinions about this person merely by what they’ve shared in the confines of cyber-space. To our delight, almost everyone is willing to upload a few select pictures of themselves and their loved ones, but what about those special few who have never posted a picture? When we visit their profiles, chat on Internet Messenger, or email back and forth, all we see are those funny icons or avatars provided by the site. Is text enough? Do we long for more?
I recently experienced an interesting conversation with on of my online buddies whom I have grown quite fond of over the months. Although we have a lot in common, our cultures are as different as night is from day. As friends, we have shared enough common ground, including our faith in Christ, that many of our differences have only made our bond as friends grow stronger. I’ve only seen pictures of this person dressed according to his culture, his face hidden behind black paint. I appreciate the fact that he’d share these special pictures with me; however, my curiosity drove me to cross the line. I begged my friend for a picture of just him, without the paint. Of course, he wanted to know why and my reason of simple curiosity didn’t suffice as a good enough reason to want a picture. He continued to question me, and I continued to fail in convincing him that wanting a picture was no big deal. I got frustrated, and so did he. Our friendship was on the line. After apologizing for pressing the matter, I explained that, in my white culture, pictures are exchanged all the time, and assured him that I never meant any harm by asking him for one.
In his culture, looks aren’t important, and they shouldn’t be in mine, either. He felt I was being superficial, and after getting over my hurt feelings, it hit me that I am. I didn’t want to make excuses for my behavior, but I had to admit that I just didn’t know any better. In this world, we are bombarded with messages that tell us that we need to look a certain way in order to be happy, successful, and even healthy. It’s hard to ignore this constant stream of information that forms a certain attitude within us, but that doesn’t give us an excuse to ignore what the Word says. Two examples:
Proverbs 31:30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.
1Peter 3:3-4 Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight.
God designed us, looks and all, but how we look on the outside means nothing if the inside of us in full of the ugliness of sin. Therefore, we need to focus on the inner beauty of not only ourselves, but those around us. If my online friend never sends me a picture, I would not have missed out. The important thing is he knows and loves the Lord, and he considers me his friend. Maybe a picture doesn’t mean all that much after all!
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