Devotion # 3- Visual Science and the Feminine Masterpiece

By Melissa Duriga

In Genesis 2: 18, God said, “It is not good for man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”

Adam was alone? With the Creator of the universe communing directly with him every day? How could God say Adam was alone?

God paraded all the animals before Adam so that he would realize there was no helper suitable for him among them and then, in His wisdom, chose to fill a void in Adam’s life by creating a woman.

Bill Perkins, in his book When Good Men Are Tempted says:

“The Master Artist who sculpted the universe spared nothing in the creation of this masterpiece. I’ve asked men on numerous occasions what they think is the most beautiful sight on earth . . . they’ll always say, “a gorgeous woman.’ “

Today we have a lot of people and businesses trying to sell something using what we call advertising. Because they want to use their advertising money the best possible way, they count on researchers who have tested different things to see what causes people to read their ads. This calls to mind Proverb 25:2 – ‘It is the glory of God to conceal a matter; to search out a matter is the glory of kings.’ Researchers search out a matter.

These researchers attach sensors to people’s eyelids to track how long a person will look at an image in an ad. Some things will increase a person’s attention by 1-3%, but to really grab someone’s attention, advertisers have learned that a picture of a woman will increase viewing time by 14 – 34%! Whether it is a man or woman doing the looking doesn’t matter—both seem to be drawn by the allure of the female image. A picture of a man does not have the same effect. A picture of a woman causes people to look longer at an advertisement, thus looking at the product advertised, and possibly considering buying it.

Now something else that has been learned through research is that the brain feels compelled to complete an incomplete picture. This is especially strong in a man’s very visual mind. He really looks at what attracts him—and women attract him, even if he is a godly man. Let’s look at some pictures to demonstrate this concept. (Overheads)

Put all this information together now:

* Men consider a gorgeous woman to be the most beautiful sight on earth.

* A picture of a woman causes people to look longer at a picture or ad.

* The human brain automatically wants to complete an incomplete picture.

Let’s apply this to how we girls and ladies dress:

- Already the fact that each of us is female draws the attention of others. Whether or not you consider yourself a beautiful woman or girl, God has created you with that feminine allure, and has created a variety of styles of beauty. We sometimes get the idea that there is only one kind of beauty, but I believe God delights in a variety of presentations of beauty.(curly or straight hair; round, long, heart-shaped face; tall, short; thin, solid, etc.).

- Remember when we talked about the neck-to-knee concept of covering the body with clothing? Most authorities agree that the clothing described in Genesis—the Original Designer clothes designed by God after Adam & Eve disobeyed-- covered at least from the neck to the knees.

- What if a woman does not follow this principle of completely covering the main part of her body? A man’s strongly visual mind is definitely drawn to the female image, and if she has not covered strategic areas, his brain is compelled to complete an incomplete picture. This results in his “mentally undressing” her without even having to think about it, just because her attire teases him into it.

Job 31:1 – “I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully on a girl.”

Job was considered a righteous man, and he had to consciously set this limit for himself. We as women—especially followers of Christ—need to help out the men around us, outside the context of marriage, by not putting any more temptation in front of them than necessary. We need to be careful to cover ourselves well. Next week we will talk about the value of keeping secrets.

Prayer: Lord, please help each of us to be aware of the visual message we send to those around us. Help us to consciously help our brothers in Christ by not putting tempting views in front of them. Thank you for creating such a variety of beauty and designing it to be pleasing to you. Help each one of us to appreciate the specific style of beauty you have given us and to use it well.