Beauty and the Geek

I am a big fan of the show Beauty and the Geek. I know, not too manly of me. But its one of those shows that the more you watch it, the more hooked you are. The thing that I really enjoy about the show is the social dynamic for which it is aptly named. The show pairs one "geek" with one "beauty" to live in a house with the other teams, competing in challenges, all for the chance to win a ton of cash. The "geek" is usually a guy who is stereotypically dressed in all his geek-splendor, armed with a sickening GPA in a geek-major from somewhere like MIT or Cal Tech, and topped off with a ridiculous geek-hobby of some sort (like LARPing -which stands for Live Action Role Playing). All they seem to care about are things like rocket science, chemical engineering, and perhaps the occasional comic book here and there.

The "beauty" is a stereotypical, material-driven, glamour queen. She likes to shop, primp, shop, complain, sleep, then shop. In fairness, most truly are beautiful girls, but they only seem to care about their physical appearance. Or so it seems...

They more you watch the show, the more you realize that outer appearance and stereotypes are only, well, outer appearances and stereotypes. As the season marches on, we start to realize that some of the geeks are just as vain/conceited/annoying as some of the beauties and some of the beauties are just as nerdy/withdrawn/introverted as some of the geeks. Should this surprise us? I mean, we make poor judgment calls everyday, don't we? Even when I know I'm doing it, even when I know I'm in the wrong, even when I know better, I still place value judgments on people based on so many outer factors. Why do I do that?

I know that to truly see people the way that God sees them is impossible. He loves each one of us more than we can possibly imagine. It seems as though it's so far out of our grasp of understanding! I am constantly reminded that He is God and I am not (that is never a newsflash to anyone but me). That said, why can't we get past so many of our hang-ups?

Why can't we see that some of those who are outwardly "showy" might actually be more generous and caring than someone who looks like they are modest or even frumpy? Why can't we see that just because some one looks like they are simple and modest it doesn't necessarily mean that they aren't more greedy and/or self-absorbed as a guy who is driving a Mercedes?

The think that I love about the show Beauty and the Geek is that we get to see this all play out before our eyes. I understand that "reality" shows are often times every bit as produced as any sitcom or drama. I am aware that there are editors who are paid to make a certain story line appear to be taking place. But they don't force the "actors" to say the things they say and do the things they do. So we still get a decent picture of what most of the people on the show are really like.

This is why I think relationships are key. How can we really know an individual's heart unless we spend an extended amount of time with them? I live in a place where the average person makes a heck of a lot more money than I will ever make in a year. They drive nicer cars than I do (although, I am pretty stinking blessed to have the coolest car on earth -- a Honda Element). They have bigger houses than I will ever own. They have hobbies like golf and boating. But it would be tragic if I left it at that. I am constantly surprised by how many people at my church exhibit generosity that exceeds their lifestyle.

Looking at someone on the surface and making a judgment call about their character is the easiest thing in the world to do. But it may also be the most offensive to God. I truly believe that God cares much more about the why than He does the what. I think He is much more concerned with why we have the things that we have, why look the way that we look, or why we buy the things that we buy, than He is with what those things are. Ultimately, when I concern myself with what other people have, it usually stems out of greed in my heart. Don't get me wrong, in no way do I endorse the vain pursuit of wealth. Iam simply suggesting that sometimes we are quick to judge even when we don't realize that we are doing it.

This post is going a lot longer than I had originally intended. It is also going in a different direction than I thought it would. I really just wanted to post a picture of Jorden and I with the title of Beauty and the Geek...but what are ya do? I like to ramble so, there you go...

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