Looks, as we all well know, are skin deep. The skin is thin… 2 to 3 millimeters… that’s 0.1 inches. Sure, there are other features involved in forming our impression, but the first glance is enormous in determining attraction in the world we live in.
Some of you may be wondering what in the tarnation I’m talking about… The Curse Of Being Attractive. Many have said, “If only I was better looking…”
Attraction… and particularly being attractive to others… can be a blessing and a curse. Consider these two scenario’s…
The 1st Curse: As guys get older they are more attractive to women.
Gee, poor guy, right? I mean, come on Chris, don’t be ridiculous!
Hmmm, think again…
My example: I wonder if Sean Connery gets hit on by many women? Probably women of all ages, right?
I’m sure lots of ladies think it would be just loads of fun to shack up with Sean… but what about Sean? Maybe he’s a Godly man and do gooder… trying to just walk a clean walk down the straight and narrow… and, if it’s even manly to think so, maybe Connery has a tender heart? Plus, he’s married, right? I’m talking Connery here and not the character he portrayed as 007. Obviously Bond is a different sort, one that, by the very nature of his work, would be unfair to think of love and relationship.
If Sean is this sort of good guy, he’s going to have to guard his heart (and marriage!) lest it will be shattered…
and if he, who I’m assuming we would all agree is an attractive older chap, was this man I’ve imagined… he could be be dogged… for life!
Cursed with the force of magnetic attraction.
Forget about Dolce and Gabbana… this guy needs to spray himself with deer scent before venturing out to the grocery store.
Shave? … Not!
B-o-d-y-g-u-a-r-d… Yep. Yep. Yep.
Yep, this curse can work against you, for instance, if you are living in the Lord and focused on doing good things.
Ok, so you’ve got the picture… maybe some of you are still shaking your heads in disbelief… ridiculous!
Fine. It’s all good.
I’m sticking with my notion that Connery is a real, Godly man…
Trust me… it happens…
… on to the second scenario…
The 2nd Curse: As women get older they are less noticed by men.
Ouch!
I know, I said it and I’m a man… please don’t be upset with me, I’m on your side here ladies 🙂
This curse is based on a notion that as women grow older they become less attractive.
Women who once noticed guys looking at them and smiling now can’t catch a glance. While it may have been flattering when they were younger, now they’re riddled with insecurity… continually tidying up… comparing their own looks to those of other women… generally, younger women that they used to resemble… asking their guy LOTS of questions about their weight… clothes… hair…
I can think of women that are considered older and very attractive… I could also come up with a list of older guys that are pretty rugged…
The thin veneer of skin that we project in this world is smooth… then, if I may say so, it eventually turns tough… leathery…
To me personally, the source of attraction to someone of the opposite sex comes from within… and that attraction builds to true intimacy… remember, Up From The Deep…
“While the ripple is a shallow pattern on the surface of the water, it is poetic… a reflection of the deeper character of the fluid… and, in us, our core… where our true identity, character and the level of intimacy that we can attain are defined.”
The ripple that I’m referring to has nothing to do with the appearance of our flesh… it is the source of real attraction and deep, meaningful intimacy. It’s the real person that lives inside each of us… a collection of our experiences… values… dreams… and our heart.
Is this an issue that you’ve seen or struggled with? Can you think of any other “curses of attraction?”
Fatel Attraction.
Yea, I know what you’re talking about Arny… maybe that will be your next fiction plot?
Ouch–I don’t feel any older but uh…the number of bottles of hair color I use in a year? Let’s not go there. Then again, I don’t want to attract anyone other than my husband. And fortunately his eyesight is getting worse so–hey, there are benefits to the whole aging thing. Loved the post, Chris.
Very FITTING Carol… 🙂
Good thoughts Chris, but as I was reading I was reminded how Satan attacks our insecurity – a rather large weak spot that we can’t cover with make up or dye. Yes, I do believe men become better looking as they age, I think maybe it’s maturity and confidence they have built over the course of time that attracts women. Women need to be needed that is their security and when outer beauty fails to keep attention, they’ll look for that other security.
Maybe that is why men have the proverbial midlife crisis – casting off the wife of their youth in place of a younger more vulnerable and easily influenced women.
I am reminded of Proverbs 5, the whole chapter is good, but this is what spoke to me, vs. 15 “Drink water from your own cistern,
running water from your own well.
16 Should your springs overflow in the streets,
your streams of water in the public squares?
17 Let them be yours alone,
never to be shared with strangers.
18 May your fountain be blessed,
and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth.
19 A loving doe, a graceful deer —
may her breasts satisfy you always,
may you ever be intoxicated with her love.
20 Why, my son, be intoxicated with another man’s wife?
Why embrace the bosom of a wayward woman?
*copied from Bible gateway. But this speaks to our vanity.
Peace and blessings
Excellent, meaningful and powerful Terrie!!
No doubt Satan will attack, therefore all the more reason to keep your life and marriage centered on God. Love that verse, the whole thing is very robust.
I believe our personalities and how we express ourselves plays a huge part in this too… it’s really complex!
Thanks for sharing!!