By Kelsey Klepper
We are living in a culture that is saturated in the idea that our worth is determined by our bodies. It repeatedly tells us that we cannot fully live until we have a smaller waist and thighs, toned arms, flawless skin, etc. I’m here to tell you, that’s a lie. It’s a lie that the enemy feeds us so we won’t say yes to what the Lord wants for us.
How much of your time are you spending thinking about your body, what you’re eating, or on social media wishing your body was different?
How often do you hold back on your dreams because you’re not the size you find ideal, therefore you lack confidence in moving forward to make those dreams reality?
How much time do you spend trying on clothes before going out in public because you are worried about how others perceive you?
How often have you said no to going to the beach, going swimming, or enjoying a warm summer day with your friends or kids because you were ashamed of your body?
How often are you numb to what’s really going on around you because your body is always on your mind?
I know I can tell you my answer to those questions was too much time and far too often. My worth was so caught up in my body that I was never good enough. My eyes and mind were focused on my body, and nothing else seemed to really matter to me. I had a life dreamed up in my head that if I looked a certain way or hit a certain number, then I would have a life in which everything would just fall into place. That never happened for me because we were never meant to focus on our body. We were never meant to find our sense of worth in our body’s size, shape, color, or abilities.
The enemy is stealing our lives when we believe the lie that our worth is determined by our bodies. He’s stealing our time when we’re focused and obsessed with our bodies. Do you feel numb to life when you’re focused on your body because it makes you feel unhappy? I know, I do. I remember feeling so numb to life – feeling laser focused on what I should do to manipulate the size of my body, I was only present some of the time with everything else outside of my body.
Jesus wants so much more for you, friend, so much more. He’s waiting for you to say yes to Him and believe His truth that your worth comes from Him alone. He doesn’t care about your body and whether you’re in a size 2 or 22.** He wants your heart. He wants big things for you. He does not want you to feel trapped and feeling worthless. You are so much more than that. That’s the truth. Believing that truth wholeheartedly is incredibly freeing.
“But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7).
**Side note – Yes, I know and believe our bodies are temples for the Holy Spirit and therefore we should honor that by taking care of them. I do not believe that society’s idea of having smaller body or lower weight is always taking care of it. You can be in a larger body (even what most health professionals would consider “overweight or obese”) and still be healthy and honoring your body. There’s WAY more to health and honoring your body than your size. So when I say God doesn’t care if you’re a size 2 or 22, I’m saying you can honor your body and be healthy to do Kingdom work at any size. You can also have a disordered relationship with food and your body and not be honoring your temple at any size.
