Asklepios Êpios,
May your presence be a comfort
To my mind, body, and soul.
As the pain sets in,
I ask that you place your hands
Upon my aching back.
May your healing warmth radiate
From the tips of your fingers,
To the depths of my muscles,
To the very center of my bones.
I humbly ask for some relief
From the aches that haunt my days
And torment my nights.
I plead for some respite
As this body works and feels
Decades older than it should.
Hail to you, Asklepios Iatros!
May glory shine upon your name!
“There are eyes that gaze upon you
With awe, admiration, and peace.
There are arms that hold you
With strength, protection, and love.
There are words that caress you
With kindness, encouragement, and support.
Sweet child,
Do not shun the eyes that gaze upon you.
Do not run from the arms that hold you.
Do not ignore the words that caress you.
You are loved unconditionally;
Cherished so wholeheartedly.
My dove,
Meet the gaze that holds you softly.
Embrace the arms that hold you close.
Listen to the words that guide you along.
We are always here to help
And you needn’t hide your face.”
I am wrapped in the wings of the raven, the arms of my goddess and gods. I will not let this anger consume me. It will temper my will and I shall be the stronger person. I am a child of the gods, a child of earth. I am protected and guided by the All That is One and I will seek comfort in this time of trial in this knowledge.
"God made you special!"
"And He loves you very much!"
If you read that in Bob and Larry's voice, then you've probably heard that millions of times after watching King George fix his ducky issue or Madame Blueberry having too much stuff.
But what does it mean?
If you think society telling us to act and dress a certain way is a new thing, think again.
It's always been this way. Because humans have decided what is beautiful and what isn't.
And in a world where your worth is measured by looks and how useable your skills are, it's hard to feel good about yourself most days.
Especially as a high schooler.
As children, we're told "be whoever you want to be!" and if we want to be something crazy, like artist or princess, we're told that if we put our mind to it, we can do it.
As you enter high school and then through to college/university, you sadly find out that "if you put your mind to it..." is rarely the case.
Many artistic people have problems finding jobs.
Many people who want to go through in sciences and maths can't afford school.
So your worth is quickly diminished by society's standards.
And of course, your looks matter. They seem to almost matter more than intelligence and talent. The right make-up and clothing is a must. The right hair cuts is important too.
And don't even get me started on what your body needs to look like.
Boys, tall, muscular but skinny.
Girls, average height, skinny, big boobs, curvy in the right places.
Because I really like statistics, let's give you some.
The pressure to be beautiful and "perfect" hits a girl by the age of 14.
Only 4% of women WORLDWIDE consider themselves beautiful
In an average high school, 44% of girls and 15% of guys are trying to lose weight.
Over 40% of boys of high school or middle school age work out just to increase muscle mass.
7 out of 10 girls think that they're not good enough.
13% of teenage girls between the ages of 15-17 acknowledge having an eating disorder. (a lot of people with eating disorders don't realize that they have one, so the percentage of girls with these disorders are higher)
80% of 10-year old girls have dieted.
90% of high school junior and senior girls diet regularly.
Um. WOW. These rates have been rising for quite a bit.
If the pressure to look a certain way has always been there, why is it getting so bad now?
While I don't have all of the answers and I can only hypothesize what is truly going on, I do believe that it's sad.
Boys and girls struggling with your self-image, let me tell you something.
God made you special. I know, I know.
You've heard it before.
"God made you special"
yadda yadda.
okay. Next Veggie Tales episode.
No. Listen.
God made YOU special.
First of all, just the idea that our great and powerful God MADE you. He took the time to make you and put you in your mothers womb. He knows everything about you and knows everything that you're going to do.
He planned out your whole entire life.
For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them. - Psalm 139: 13-16
Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” - Jeremiah 1:4-5
I would just really like to stress that He is GOD.
He could just send us all to Hell and never look at us again because we are not WORTHY of Him. We don't deserve His grace and mercy, but He gave it to us anyways and He planned out our lives lovingly. Yes, He knows that we'll hurt and cry. But He will be there. He doesn't leave you alone. He is utterly committed to you. He won't forget to text you back because he started playing COD with his cousin. He won't just walk away from you and leave you alone. He. Is. There. He made you and cares enough to stay with you.
You have to be worth something if a God THIS great and powerful and mighty made you and stays with you.
Okay. So. God thinks you have worth. But, you still think you're ugly and fat and you need make up to hide what's underneath.
So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. - 2 Corinthians 4:16
Those who look to Him are radiant and their faces shall never be ashamed. - Psalm 34:5
And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin. - Matthew 6:28
For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the spirit is life and peace. - Romans 8:6
And for the ladies:
Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. - Proverbs 31:30
She is more precious than jewels and nothing you desire can compare with her. - Proverbs 3:15
Strength and dignity are her clothing and she laughs at the time to come. - Proverbs 31:25
Wow. Okay.
So, let's break some of these apart. What is God trying to let us know specifically?
Our outer bodies slowly give out. You can see that in your grandparents. They have wrinkles, veins are more prominent. Your body will waste away and one day it will rot in the ground. Your INNER self will be renewed daily by GOD. You can't control how quickly your body wastes, but you CAN control how often your inner self is renewed.
If you look to Jesus and to God, your face is going to show it. It's going to be obvious. You're going to shine and beam and not be ashamed of who your God is and who He made you.
God made the lilies, did He not? Are the lilies and other flowers beautiful? Of course they are! If he makes something as simple and unimportant as flowers beautiful, He would make us beautiful the WAY WE ARE. Without our clothes. Our bodies are BEAUTIFUL. Just the way they are.
If all you think about is how you look and how others look at you, you're going to waste away. You're going to be constantly worried about what you look like and every little thing "wrong" with you is going to seem like the end of the world. BUT if you set your mind on Jesus, you will only be filled with peace.
The ladies ones:
Pretty much, that if you follow Him, you are worth more than anything in the world. That men should respect you and should want you and fight for you. But I'll do more on relationships later.
Are you convinced yet?
If you didn't pass your biology test, that's okay. God knew in advance that you weren't going to, and has something else planned for you.
TRUST HIM and everything else will make sense. INCLUDING your self-worth. Your self-worth should be through Him.
If the people at school make fun of you for looks or intelligence, just remember, God made you. God loves you. Jesus died for you.
Of course, Jesus died for them too. But you can remember that a little later after you feel better.
