Wonderfully Made

I will never forget the time I went in for a routine exam with my dentist (we will call her Dr. B). She is well informed and very skilled. Before starting the work on my teeth, Dr. B noticed something she thought might indicate a problem.

When I smile wide, the gums above my upper teeth show.

Apparently, this does not measure up to the acceptable standard of beauty for a woman. My dentist recognized it as something she considered to be an imperfection. She told me that she “could fix it.” Dr. B explained that in order to fix my smile, she would first have to break my jaw. She would then work to reconstruct my mouth to remedy the problem. That was all that was needed in order for my gums not to show when I smiled.

When she said she would start “fixing” me by first breaking my jaw, I cringed. Sadness flooded through me as I thought of all the women in the world who undergo plastic surgery, Botox treatments, and other man-made procedures to “fix” what they think is wrong with their appearance. You may have seen these real-life situations in before-and-after shows focusing on appearances: the man who went from “fat to fit” has now become desirable to women around the world; the “ugly duckling” who has been transformed into the world’s ideal of a beautiful “swan” and is now someone all men want to marry.

Sadly, these days, even children are not exempt from being judged and pursuing the world’s standard of beauty. Wanting to look and feel attractive is innate for most of us mere mortals. But destroying how God made us to change ourselves into what the world considers beautiful is never a good idea. The Bible says that we are made in God’s image.

We are “fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14, NIV).

The Maker of the universe loves us just as we are! We are God’s masterpieces. So, let us not allow the world to convince us we need extreme surgery to attain its standard of beauty. We are wonderfully made!

Alexis A. Goring