Don’t believe the trick

The winners for “Do These Jeans Make Me Look Fat? Breaking the Cultural Mirror” are listed at the end of this post!

As I read your comments on the post for Do You Think These Jeans Make me Look Fat? I started to think about  the lessons I learned as the daughter of a magician. (My dad and my father-in-law are both magicians and I know a LOT of magicians.)

Every good magician knows how to distract your attention from what is really happening. He and his assistant stand center stage in flashy clothes, and with big gestures and choreographed words, they command your attention to “look right here, watch and be amazed!” And while you “ooh” and “ahh,” the trick happens right in front of your face. You were so caught up in the shiny object in his right hand, that you missed what his left hand did.

We have an enemy who is a master trickster. Only his gimmicks are meant to harm and destroy us. One of his grand productions involves our body image. His stage is everywhere — on the small screen, the silver screen, the internet screen. With flashy clothes and showy words he says, “See how beautiful this model is? Look at this amazing star’s body and she just had a baby TWO minutes ago! THIS is true beauty! Anything less is subpar! Looking like this is the key to happiness, love and success!”

And while we’re captivated with the shiny object in his right hand, we miss how his left hand is destroying us.

But if you know what the truth is, you can avoid being tricked.

My dad used to record a famous magician’s tv programs. He and I would settle in with popcorn and the remote control, and we would watch the program in slow motion. Dad would say, “Now he wants you to look at what he’s doing. But I want you to look over here and see what the assistant is doing. Right there….see it?” Then he’d rewind the tape just a few seconds and I saw it — a little flick of the assistant’s wrist. And that’s where the sleight really happened.

Take time to slow down, and evaluate what’s happening in your mind. Why do you feel the way you do about your body? Who are you listening to? Have you bought the production on the screen as truth? Will you instead sit with your Heavenly Father and ask, “What’s really going on here? Will you please show me who I really am?” He designed you. He loves you. You are not a number on a tag or just a face in a crowd. You are His daughter. You are beautiful. You are loved. You have great worth.

Go on a treasure hunt through the Bible to see what God says about our bodies. In Do These Jeans Make Me Look Fat?: Breaking the Cultural Mirror, Jocelyn repeatedly points us to the truths in God’s Word. Here’s a few to get you started:

Psalm 139:13-16

1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Fill your mind with the truth about your body, and you’ll start to recognize the tricks. Be alert. Don’t be mesmerized by the shiny object in his right hand and miss what’s really happening in his left hand.

***Congratulations to Sarah and Chauntel! You have each won a copy of “Do These Jeans Make Me Look Fat? Breaking the Cultural Mirror.” I will send you an e-mail!