In a culture that is consumed with fitness, beach bodies, dieting, and counting calories it can be hard not to feel bad about your own body. Then when you feel sad all you see are the cakes, chocolate and carbs, while Food network shows you all the delicious food you are missing. I always felt like I was surrounded. Everywhere I turned I saw someone who had a better body, a better workout program, eating better, and seeming to be all around better than me. On the other hand, to make myself feel more secure and to compensate from feeling bad about myself, I started to look for those who I was doing better than. Social media became a place of constant comparison for me, with each scroll I either saw flaws with myself or saw flaws in someone else. I was obsessed with wanting the perfect beach body so eating and working out was all that was on my mind.

It was crazy to me how even though you know a lie is false and is in fact a lie, you can still believe it. Your head says, “No, that’s not true”, but your heart isn’t so sure and soon the lie takes root. I was dealing with uprooting lies about my body and self-image. One night I had had enough. I decided I was done being controlled by lies and comparison. I went off social media for a week and focused on what God said about me. I dove into God’s Word and found 10 verses that reminded me who I am and how I am seen.

1. Psalm 34:4-5

"I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from my fears. Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame."

Wow, reread that if you have to. “He delivered me from my fears.” I don’t have to fear the approval of people, I don’t have to fear not being skinny, pretty, or fit enough, and neither do you. When we focus on Jesus, he shines through us and we are radiant. He takes away our shame. The shame of how we look, our weight, our whatever we see as imperfect, and covers it so we shine.

2. Ephesians 2:1-10 (Highlighting here verses 3,4, and 10)

"All of us…gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. But because of His great love for us, made us alive with Christ…For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."

Cravings of flesh, that is a phrase isn’t it? What are you craving? What is consuming your thoughts and desires that should be places on things above? Working out, eating, and getting fit are all good things, but when your mind becomes obsessed with it, it becomes a craving of the flesh. Thank God for his love though, he has made us his handiwork! (God’s handiwork= he crafted something beautiful) God made me, and you, he crafted me into something beautiful and special through the blood of his son. We are created to do good works to glorify God’s great name and he designed and created us with a purpose and a plan that are already prepared for us.

3. 1 Timothy 4:3-10

"Hypocritical liars…order them to abstain from certain foods. Which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving…Nourished on the truths of the faith…Train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things."

Sometimes food almost seems to be a curse, it’s so good but it causes so much stress and has so many calories. We need to always remember to be thankful for it though. God provides us with it and we need it. These verses are discussing clean vs. unclean meat (Jewish culture and Old testament rules) but the truths in these verses can be related to so many other aspects in life other than food. God created me and you; everything God created is good. Nothing God made should be rejected, that includes my body, even the parts I want to hide. I pray I am nourished and filled up with God’s truths. We need not to use or misuse food in place of God. I need to put more effort into being Godly, instead of being fit. We need to find the balance between putting some value and not too much value on physical training, and instead be consumed by Christ’s goodness.

4. Song of Solomon 4:7

"You are altogether beautiful, my darling; there is no flaw in you."

When I first read this I almost didn’t believe my eyes. This was in the Bible? My darling? It sounds like something you would want a boy to say to you…and that what the verse is! The groom of this love story is telling his bride of his love for her. But the cool thing is that it is an exact parallel to how God loves us. Marriage is an earthly example of how Christ loves his church. God made us “altogether beautiful”. Jesus wiped away our sins, making us flawless. We are seen through Christ’s blood, therefore making us blemish free. You are beautiful and flawless.

Are you starting to remember your worth? Is your view of yourself starting to transition to how God sees you? I sure hope so. I would like to also remind you that being healthy is a good thing and much needed. We are to take care of our bodies, they are temples of God, but we need to focus on being healthy to give God glory, not to bring glory to ourselves. That is the tricky part sometimes. Reflect on those verses and I still have 6 more incredible truths from God’s Word to get to next time.