I’ve had it on my heart for the last couple days to talk about body image.  It seems that there are three types of girls out there:  those who hate their bodies, those who love their bodies, and those who have a healthy understanding of who God has made them to be.

1. Have you ever heard a girl say “I’m so fat! Look at my thighs/butt/hips/belly/legs etc.?”  I hate my hair, I hate my feet, I hate my teeth, I hate my skin.  Have you ever said something like this?  Sometimes this leads to obsessive exercise, eating habits, or not wanting to leave the house without make-up.  Let me tell you something.  When I started high school, I was pretty content with how I looked. But I had a friend who was constantly complaining about her body.  First I just thought she was crazy and dismissed it. But after a while, I started thinking, “well if she says that’s wrong with her body, she must have not seen mine!  As a result, I started worrying about how I looked, and learned from her how to complain about certain parts of my body.  And she was a Christian! Girls, when you complain about your bodies, you are (1) insulting the God who made you (2) being a stumbling block to other girls who are content with their bodies.  Stop it.  My mother-in-law said something once that has stuck with me ever since: “A lot of girls say they are ‘self-conscious’ about their bodies.  And that’s exactly what they are: conscious of self.”  By complaining about your body, you are being more conscious of yourself than the God who created you.  Self-worship is idolatry. 

2. Now there is the other extreme. The girls who think they’re hot and flaunt it. The ones with their pictures plastered all over facebook. The ones who dress to impress, especially to get the attention of guys.  This may come across as being confident, but really it is just another form of self-worship.  Let me ask you: how much do you spend on your hair a year? What about clothes? Perfume? Make-up?  The Bible says “where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”  If your money is an indication of where your heart is, who is your God? Your own body?  How hard would it be for you to no to post any pictures on facebook for a year? Or to not buy new clothes for a year?  What if you are in an accident and get your face badly burned?  Where do you get your worth?

3.  The last group of girls is quite rare.  These are girls and women who know who they are in Christ, are content in their own skin and have accepted their imperfections, work hard to maintain a healthy and balanced way of living (exercise, healthy diet, healthy relationships etc), and overall are more concerned with God and how to serve people than themselves.  These are the girls who are truly attractive, both on the inside and the outside.  They can’t help but draw people to them.  Christ shows on their face.  Guys (and their girlfriends!) feel comfortable around them.  It’s not a competition.  This is what we must strive for!

Let’s not forget that God gave us bodies here in earth for a purpose: to serve Him by loving others.  Our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit.  We should not worship the temple but use it to honour Jesus.

Be honest: which girl are you?

Michelle

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