since i was not clear in the last post:
i do understand the mission and the message behind "His image" week. i completely agree with the fact that our confidence, value, and purpose should not be linked to our physical appearance. our image is found in Christ, living in us, as those who know Him have been given the Holy Spirit and are transformed to be able to reflect the glory of the Lord.
i also understand why some of the sessions during "in His image" week address eating disorders and eating healthy. external image is a huge concern and priority for many people, which unfortunately can outweigh their concern for Christ and their character. yet, we are responsible to care for our bodies, and many people do not properly care for their bodies, either by over or under eating. therefore, i just thought that if they were going to have a session about eating healthy, preceding that session with a late night breakfast was slightly ironic.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Counterproductive
i will preface this post by acknowledging that i am a cynic.
this week is "in His image" week at school. we have lots of weeks that are dedicated to different topics and causes. all of the ideas have a great purpose and principle behind them, but sometimes the promotion and activities associated with these weeks are comical.
for example, "in His image" week is a week to raise awareness about the fact that we are made in the image of the Lord, so we should not define our value and image based on popularity, physical appearance, or the standards of society. i completely agree with this cause, and many of the activities and discussions are very educational. however, this year, one of the promotions was showing a girl from CBU being transformed with makeup and a pretty hair style. it is a spin off of a "Dove" promotion, but i am still annoyed that all of the posters around school only show pictures of the girl with wind blowing through her curls, glossy lips, shadowed eyes, and editing. i feel like that defeats the purpose of communicating the fact that you can be pretty whether you are wearing makeup or not. granted, i am bias, since i do not wear makeup all the time should people someday be disappointed or shocked by my actual appearance if they saw me without it. many girls begin to feel like it is a necessity for beauty and a positive image.
on a less serious note, last night they had a time where a local pastor came to speak about how our image is found in Christ, and it is not based on our physical appearance. later this week they will have more sessions about eating disorders and having a healthy lifestyle and diet. of course, a major draw for these events is food. so last night, at 9 pm, they had french toast breakfast to kick off the in His image events. again, being health conscious, i laughed since i try not to eat late at night, especially treats like french toast, cookies, and other delicious carbohydrate filled foods. now, i understand that my "image" is not decided by my eating habits or the way their are reflected in my appearance, but i did think it was a bit counterproductive considering the topics later this week.
again, i know im being picky and critical. but i just thought it was all pretty entertaining.
a picture from a Dove campaign. i could not find one of the CBU student, but it looks similar.
this week is "in His image" week at school. we have lots of weeks that are dedicated to different topics and causes. all of the ideas have a great purpose and principle behind them, but sometimes the promotion and activities associated with these weeks are comical.
for example, "in His image" week is a week to raise awareness about the fact that we are made in the image of the Lord, so we should not define our value and image based on popularity, physical appearance, or the standards of society. i completely agree with this cause, and many of the activities and discussions are very educational. however, this year, one of the promotions was showing a girl from CBU being transformed with makeup and a pretty hair style. it is a spin off of a "Dove" promotion, but i am still annoyed that all of the posters around school only show pictures of the girl with wind blowing through her curls, glossy lips, shadowed eyes, and editing. i feel like that defeats the purpose of communicating the fact that you can be pretty whether you are wearing makeup or not. granted, i am bias, since i do not wear makeup all the time should people someday be disappointed or shocked by my actual appearance if they saw me without it. many girls begin to feel like it is a necessity for beauty and a positive image.
on a less serious note, last night they had a time where a local pastor came to speak about how our image is found in Christ, and it is not based on our physical appearance. later this week they will have more sessions about eating disorders and having a healthy lifestyle and diet. of course, a major draw for these events is food. so last night, at 9 pm, they had french toast breakfast to kick off the in His image events. again, being health conscious, i laughed since i try not to eat late at night, especially treats like french toast, cookies, and other delicious carbohydrate filled foods. now, i understand that my "image" is not decided by my eating habits or the way their are reflected in my appearance, but i did think it was a bit counterproductive considering the topics later this week.
again, i know im being picky and critical. but i just thought it was all pretty entertaining.
a picture from a Dove campaign. i could not find one of the CBU student, but it looks similar.
Saturday, February 07, 2009
26.2
a marathon is 26.2 miles, and the last 2.2 are easily the longest. but i finished, and i jogged almost the entire time, save the walks through water stations and a short walk break on mile 23 to rub out the cramp in my left thigh.
commonly asked questions:
how was it? SO HARD. the first 16 miles were really enjoyable. after that, it got hot, and i had less drive to want to push myself to run (partly because my joints and muscles were starting to feel it). this is also the time where refueling is important. i hate refueling.
will you do it again? Right after the race, my answer was no. my friend's mom said that you cannot answer that question right after, though, because right after childbirth, not many people want to turn around and do it again. but they usually do, and its worth it. so, maybe i will do another one. but i would have to do it with someone that is my pace and have the time to really train and do well.
overall, i am extremely glad i did it. i was so blessed to train with friends, and i ran most of the marathon with the amazing girls, jenni and erica. i was only sore for two days, but i am still having trouble with the outer ligament on my left foot (the planter fascia, i think?). also, i completely understand why Paul parallels running with the Christian life. Running is much more successful when you have a community and accountability. It involves a great deal of discipline, mentally and physically. Also, you must refuel, which involves drinking water and eating food or energy supplements. In most cases, eating and drinking are enjoyable and desirable. But i had to train myself to chew, swallow and drink while running and breathing. Many times, we enjoy and desire to be in the Word and to worship Christ, but when circumstances are hard, we often do not desire or enjoy making time for those things. We have to remind ourselves that we need those to sustain us. Now, I understand that a life devoted to pursuing Christ is much more difficult and long term than a marathon, but my friends and I were able to have alot of great conversations about the metaphors while we were running.
I do not have many pictures, but this is jenni, me, and erica at mile 15.
commonly asked questions:
how was it? SO HARD. the first 16 miles were really enjoyable. after that, it got hot, and i had less drive to want to push myself to run (partly because my joints and muscles were starting to feel it). this is also the time where refueling is important. i hate refueling.
will you do it again? Right after the race, my answer was no. my friend's mom said that you cannot answer that question right after, though, because right after childbirth, not many people want to turn around and do it again. but they usually do, and its worth it. so, maybe i will do another one. but i would have to do it with someone that is my pace and have the time to really train and do well.
overall, i am extremely glad i did it. i was so blessed to train with friends, and i ran most of the marathon with the amazing girls, jenni and erica. i was only sore for two days, but i am still having trouble with the outer ligament on my left foot (the planter fascia, i think?). also, i completely understand why Paul parallels running with the Christian life. Running is much more successful when you have a community and accountability. It involves a great deal of discipline, mentally and physically. Also, you must refuel, which involves drinking water and eating food or energy supplements. In most cases, eating and drinking are enjoyable and desirable. But i had to train myself to chew, swallow and drink while running and breathing. Many times, we enjoy and desire to be in the Word and to worship Christ, but when circumstances are hard, we often do not desire or enjoy making time for those things. We have to remind ourselves that we need those to sustain us. Now, I understand that a life devoted to pursuing Christ is much more difficult and long term than a marathon, but my friends and I were able to have alot of great conversations about the metaphors while we were running.
I do not have many pictures, but this is jenni, me, and erica at mile 15.
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