Monday, January 08, 2007

One Of A Kind - Priceless

I happened to chance upon this TV programme, "Nip & Tuck," which my brother is watching now. For those of you who do not know what this series is about... well, it is regarding people who are not happy with their looks seeking these two plastic surgeons to help them become a new person through different surgical procedures. Some from fat to thin; some from short to tall; from a male to a female or vice versa; from flat nose to a sharp one; etc.

During the advertisement segment of that programme, I went to my parents' room where there is this big mirror in there. I decided to have a good look at myself.

I was just scrutinising my body as I looked at my reflection... yeah, I am fat; hairline receding; my nose is quite broad and a little fat; my face looks fierce when I do not smile; I have got a nasty scar on my forehead which is so obvious that when I was sent to the medium for some divine consultation, he said it was good to have that scar as it serves as a third eye so that I can see better and not fall again. Haha. This visitation was set up by my parents (who were then not Christians) after I fell and hit the same place on my forehead twice on different occasions. I was stitched up quite a bit. :)

After all the observations I made, I looked eye to eye with my reflection and asked this question, "So Andy, are you happy with yourself despite of all these physical 'flaws'?" My answer to that was a "Yes!"

Why should I not be happy? If God, who is perfect, has created me to look the way I am now, who am I (His creation) to tell Him that my looks are not up to standard? My receding hairline was hereditary - my dad has it, my grandpa had it and so did my great grandpa; my nose was flat since birth; I did not choose to have those scars on my forehead - because all babies had to learn to walk after reaching a certain age, he or she had to fall a couple of times first in order to learn the skill of walking. Just that I learnt to walk at a wrong place where there was a door frame; being fat, I admit, was my fault. I did not watch what I ate and hence the formula - what I eat = how I look. There was also these two years when I could not exercise because of my kidney ailment and that was when I ballooned drastcially; I cannot do much about my fierce look. I think that is why God always allows me to laugh and smile lots so that I do not scare people off too often. Haha. :)

Well, if I cannot accept myself as what I am, then I cannot accept God as the One who created me since I came into being. And if I cannot accept God as my Creator, then I will never be able to give Him full control of my life since I will take things into my own hands and have myself modified so that I can be pleased with myself.

Anyway, physical look is subjective. Some people may say, "Andy, you are like this, better to look like that." Then there will be others who may tell me, "Andy, you are like that, better to look like this."

Take my horizontally-challenged body, for example. When I was fat just before I was enlisted into army, some of my relatives and friends said that I needed to be thinner as I would look better. After I finished my 5-month Basic Military Training (for obese recruits) and having lost 17kg from a weight of 84kg, the same people told me it was better for me to be fatter because I looked like a bamboo stick and they prefered my teddy-bear frame. Hmmm..... ??? I was a confused young man, I must say. :)

I have learnt to praise God for what and who I am now. How others think of me may affect me sometimes but in the end, I will still give thanks to God and will only seek His approval and not that of man's.

Well, I pray in my pilgrim's journey ahead, I will continue to learn to accept myself and others as how God has created us to be. My human shortcomings may cause me to have prejudices but I pray God will help me see others with His eyes and not mine.

Will I look into the mirror and scrutinise myself again? Yes, I will. Haha! :)

Guess what? When I was looking at myself just now, I never knew I look like someone who is quite handsome. I think most of you would know him. Think hard.

How?

Any guesses?

Well, if you want to know, wait for my next blog then. :)

"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be."
Psalm 139:13-16

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