Love the Skin You Are In
Here’s a million dollar question…How can we come to terms with our body and how can we help our children come to terms with theirs? Lori points us straight to scripture to find the answers!
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him… Gen 1:27
How do you view your body? Would you describe your body as “lovely?” Would your children describe their bodies as “lovely?” I think it would be impossible to have anyone answer “yes” to that question! More likely answers are “skinny”, “chubby”, “tall”, “short”, “curvy”, “wide”, and on and on.
We get a lot of “help” from the media telling us how our bodies are suppose to look. And if the media is not enough, we have our peers to help us decipher what exactly is the “perfect body”. We look into the mirror and see all our faults. In our minds there is always someone more attractive. For us it is like looking into one of the distorted mirrors at the carnival! What we see is not actually as it appears! There is only one place to look for truth…scripture.
We need to accept and acknowledge that we all have different body types. True self image absolutely begins, ends and remains with God – not the opinions of others. Looking into scripture we see an image of “true self” which communicates God’s acceptance, affirmation and delight.
- One of my favorite Psalms is Psalm 139. David is rejoicing over God knitting us in our mother’s wombs, making all the delicate parts of our bodies and he proclaims, “Your workmanship is marvelous!” (vs. 14) MARVELOUS!! What a wonderful word. Try saying that next time you look in the mirror!
- Need more ammunition against the enemy attacks on our bodies? Here we go! Psalm 100:3, “Know that the Lord, He is God. It is He who made us and we are His.”
- Jeremiah 1:5, “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you and before you were born I consecrated you.” Could God have made a mistake when he formed us? Did he not mean to give me the nose that looks a little different than the majoritiy of people around me? Turns out it was that very nose that I hated all my young years that my husband found attractive and led him to me!! God created me just as He planned….He created me like none other. He created you like none other. He is the Great Creator.
Just as we remind our children that their worth is not based upon their performance, let’s remind them that their worth is not based upon their looks either. Great reminders when those lies come in the distorted mirror…remind them who they are in Christ. They are loved, they are gifted and and they have something to offer.
One of my favorite movies is “The Help”. I love how many times the maid reminds her children “You is kind, You is smart and You is important!” And if I could add one more piece to that it would be and “You is just as God made you!”
Write a big “TA-DA!!” on your mirror today, and smile : )!
