What Do You Consider Perfect? Part 2 / Body Image
“So God created humankind in his image, in the likeness of God he created them, male and female he created them.”
Genesis 1:27
If you know me or if you read the About Me page on my website, you know I worked in the fitness industry for about 11 years. I have a passion for helping people of all shapes, sizes, and genders to get healthy and find a place where they can maintain this healthy lifestyle. It was a career that brought me so much joy. I have worked with many women, men, and teenagers over the years that were simply not happy with their bodies. Some that I worked with wanted to lose a few pounds so that they could be stronger, breathe easier, walk a flight of stairs without losing their breath and their legs burning, and be generally healthy. I have worked with people who were weak from an injury or needed to lose weight after having a baby. Those individuals are easy to train because I could establish a realistic goal and we could achieve that goal together. Then, I’ve worked with others who wanted to completely change the way they looked. There was not one thing they liked about their body. We could not agree on a realistic goal because in their mind, the realistic goal was not enough.
I am a firm believer in exercise. I do some type of exercise 5 days a week because it makes me strong, it keeps me fitting into my clothes, I can enjoy indulgent food when I exercise, and I can run, jump, and play with my kids without any struggle. There is nothing wrong with exercise and keeping your body healthy. That should be a priority in all of our lives. But, at what point can we truly say we are happy with our bodies?
As I researched and saw what the internet tells us a perfect body is, I got sick at my stomach. The list went like this: high cheekbones, doe eyes, 30.5 inch long legs, curves, hourglass figure that measures 34-24-35, a cute nose that angles 106 degrees from lip to tip, perfectly symmetrical face, a smile that is no less than 50% the width of your face, breasts that measure 45% above the nipple and 55% below the nipple, and a spine that curves 45.5 degrees at the base. Ladies, this is no joke. This is what the world tells us we should look like. This is what our daughters are reading.
When that is what we are being told by society, of course we will never be happy with our bodies. We will never appreciate the body God gave us and made in His image.
This is what the Bible tells us about our bodies: we are wonderfully made; God knows how many hairs we have on our heads; He knows our bones and marrow; He made us in His likeness; we have His characteristics; He made us strong and courageous; He made us above every other animal; and He knew us when we were in our mother’s womb. Psalm 139:15 says, “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.” When God formed you, He knew exactly how you would look before you were born. He knew the areas of your body that you would look at and not be happy with, but He gave you those areas anyways because He finds them beautiful. We are all made uniquely different for a reason. What is so beautiful about humankind is that we are all different.
“Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, who you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
I have heard this verse many times throughout my life. I heard it when I was a child being taught about the Holy Spirit, as a teenager when I was filling my mouth full of pizza and Little Debbie snacks, as a young adult when I was going to bars and meeting new guys, and as a middle-aged adult deciding on what I should do to keep myself looking young. God’s Word is so awesome, it speaks to each of us in so many ways. God has a way of meeting his daughters right where they need Him.
There are 3 points I want to make with these verses.
We are called to take care of our bodies. We are called to keep them healthy by making healthy choices with our food and drink, exercising to keep it strong and to keep our body fat down, refraining from sexual immorality, and refraining from any abusive behavior we may do to our own bodies such as alcohol or drug abuse, eating disorders, or physical harm. Our bodies were made intentionally and made for good. We love our bodies by taking care of them, but we cannot make them lovable. We cannot change them because we think others will approve of them.
The Holy Spirit dwells within us. That is such a precious gift. Sit in that for a moment. Part of the Holy Trinity lives in your body. With knowing that, how can we not try to keep our bodies holy?
We were bought at a price. Jesus died on the cross for each one of us. He chose to die for us because we are wonderfully made, and we are His most precious creation. He sculpted us and chose us. Your whole body, inside and out, is what He loves and finds perfect.
We are encroaching on the holiday season. Halloween is already here, and all the candy is staring us in the face! This is the time of year when guilt comes over us. If we intentionally take care of our bodies and remember that God made us to His perfection, then there will be no room for guilt when we enjoy a little indulgence through the holidays. Our bodies were designed for pleasure and work. So, enjoy some pleasures this holiday season, and also enjoy the exercise you do after that indulgent meal or piece of candy.
I’m not sure who I’m writing this for, but I know you are not alone. This is a struggle that many, many women deal with. I pray that women can encourage each other by reminding each other of their inner and outer beauty. We need to see ourselves and each other the way God sees us, not as the world sees us. The world sees imperfection, but God sees beauty in His creation. My friend, you are beautiful just the way you are.
Digging Deeper:
Read Psalm 139.
What do you need to confess to God today? Ask for His help with keeping your body healthy. Ask for God to help you find realistic goals that you can maintain.
What needs to change with your thinking when it comes to contentment with body image?
Is there someone in your life that needs to be encouraged today in this area of their life?