Do you hate your body? Silly question? --- Not really. Most women do. The National Eating Disorder Association estimates there are ten million women who suffer from some kind of eating disorder. According to research, anorexia is the third most common chronic illness among adolescents, while Time magazine revealed that 80% of all children have been on a diet by the time they reach fourth grade.
Let’s face it, something is terribly wrong.
When we place our confidence in how we look, it’s always up for grabs. We have to stay on the performance treadmill in order to get the value, worth and acceptance we believe a thin body provides. We have to exercise, wear the right clothes, eat the right food, diet constantly, check our weight, and pay close attention to what everyone says about how we look. We can never rest. It’s an exhausting way to live!
Placing our confidence in anything other than Christ will only lead us to conflict and frustration. Body dissatisfaction contributes to feelings of personal inadequacy because we’re believing lies of some kind that tell us that we’re not ok unless we have a thin body. If you believe that being thin is the pathway to happiness it’s just an illusion. Having a thin body may make you feel good for the moment, but in the long run the price you pay is holding you captive. Besides, there are no guarantees a thin body will provide a great person to love you, a great job, a healthy lifestyle, or the personal adequacy you crave.
If you struggle with body dissatisfaction, then consider this: God says the body he gave you is the temple of the Holy Spirit. He knit you together in the womb, and you are fearfully and wonderfully made—even if you’re not a size zero! So the next time you’re tempted to believe all those other voices that tell you you’re not ok---remember His voice and believe the truth.
Prayer
Father, help me to pause and reflect on what it means to be fearfully and wonderfully made by you. Just because I may not have the perfect body, it doesn’t mean I am any less valuable to you. Help me to marvel at how you have created me and look for ways to glorify you through my body.
Meditation
“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.” Psalm 139:13-14