God did not put you on this earth for your purpose to be skinny.
I am going to be honest, this blog has been very hard to write, hence why you’re not reading this on a Monday like normal. As someone who was a part of a sport where you were defined by the way your body looks for a lot of things- I don’t feel qualified to talk about it, since I don’t always feel over it. There are some days when I immediately fall into completely trashing the way I look.
If we're not careful we will let our identity be the “compliments” we receive from people. I’ve had people tell me they’re jealous of a stomach condition I have because it “keeps me thin.” However, that same stomach condition leaves me in chronic pain and unrelenting anxiety. It felt like a slap in the face to hear that, until I realized I would validate myself by what people said about me. But how quickly the feelings fade and the lies come in when you look for other people’s approval of you. I began to ask myself questions like “What will people say about me if I gain weight after cheer?” “What if this new medicine I am on makes me look bigger?” I could write way more awful things, but I am too embarrassed to admit them. I am not asking for your pity in writing this, but sharing how no one is alone in it.
I think I could ask any girl around me if they like their body, and I would receive a negative response back. I found my heart breaking over hearing their negative comments, but I felt no remorse for mine. I couldn’t believe my friends could not see how beautiful they are. I almost felt that I could feel God grabbing my shoulders to shake me to reality when I realized He has that same thought about me. If I cannot say the negative things I say about myself to one of my best friends (or anyone for that matter)- how can I be okay saying them to me?
2 Corinthians 10:5 says “...we take every thought captive to obey Christ.” If you read Ashley’s 2 part blog on how to hear God’s voice, we learned that in order to hear His voice we must know His voice. When we have terrible thoughts that come to us and tell us things that we are not “worthy” of eating, relaxing, you name it- we must take those thoughts captive to Christ. If a thought we have does not align with God’s word or bring us closer to Him- then it is not acceptable for us to use that as a label for our identity. God tells us we are WORTHY because of Jesus dying on the cross for us- not anything we did to earn. When we look for our identity in Christ, we learn that our bodies are a temple that He works through.
“Don’t you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you,whom you have from God? You are not your own, 20 for you were bought at a price. So glorify God with your body.” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 CSB
We were bought at a PRICE and Jesus paid it all for us. When we think through things with a Kingdom Mindset- we see that our purpose is more than just our looks. To be very blunt- we cannot be God’s hands and feet (Romans 10:15) to share the Gospel if we are not eating. We cannot be more consumed about our looks than God’s will for our lives. I know it is easier said than done. I have friends who I cry with over the phone begging them to believe this because their life is on the line from believing this lie to an extreme. Please know I am praying over every person who reads this (guy or girl). I cannot shame you- I have my own lies to work on. I have to recite verses and everything I am saying here to myself. You are not alone. If this is something you are struggling with please reach out to our instagram messenger. YOU ARE LOVED.
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