You may not know that I am a Registered Dietitian and Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist. I have spent the last 25 years counseling people with eating disorders, diabetes and those struggling to lose weight. Every day, I meet with people and I become a coach, a cheerleader and a friend to those struggling to find peace with who they are and how they look.
There is not a day that goes by where I don’t say to someone, “give yourself grace”.
You may also not know that, I, too, have struggled with a distorted body image – wishing I was thinner, more muscular, younger, taller – blah, blah, blah! I battled this unhealthy self image for years, until one day, I could take it no more. Sobbing, I said to the Lord, “take it, just take it from me”.
Today, it occurred to me – what if we all said “thank you” to our bodies and learned to accept ourselves for who we are? What would that look like for you? For me – it would be thanks for being able to carry four children to full term, to nurse my babies, to house this soul for the last 50 years, to have eyes that see beauty in God’s creation (especially the birth of my first granddaughter), to have ears that hear amazing noises, a heart that has taught me to love and cherish others and myself, and so, SO much more.
God created your inmost being (Psalm 139: 13-14), He created you in His image (Genesis 1:26, 2 Cor 3:18, Genesis 9:6), clothed you with strength and dignity (Psalm 31:25), and has great plans for you (Jeremiah 29:11). Yes, our bodies are a temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 6:19-20), and we want to take care of them- there is nothing unhealthy about that . But, weight, height, wrinkles, stretch marks, etc. do not define you. Only God can do that. Finding a healthy self view can only happen when you believe ALL that Jesus says about you – not society, and definitely NOT a scale!
See, God makes NO mistakes – you are exactly as He knew you would be – one of a kind, YOU! Look in the mirror and say, “thank you” to your body and your soul! You are the daughter of the most high, Jesus Christ, and to Him there is NONE more beautiful! Remember that! Love you, Heather (picture is me this time)
