By Tanya Jolliffe RDN, LD, CIMHP
I was in the second grade at a new school out at recess proudly wearing a lovely new green hand knit hooded sweater coat that my grandmother had made for me for Christmas. It was winter and cold, so I had the hood up. Very soon I heard some of the older boys calling me the Jolly Green Giant and teasing me because I stood a head taller than the classmate standing next to me. Not only did I never wear that beautiful sweater coat to school again, I also became aware that my size was something to laugh at.
Body shaming comments have an impact on how we view our bodies and limit our ability to acquire body acceptance. Body acceptance issues can then influence lifestyle behaviors that impact our physical, mental, and emotional well-being choices. So, what is body acceptance? It is accepting our body as it is without any judgments. This is hard when we are bombarded by messaging regarding what constitutes an acceptable body by the world.
We are often challenged to love those whom God loves. This includes loving ourselves and honoring the life and body we have been given. One way we can do that is to understand that our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NIV) teaches us this. “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore, honor God with your bodies.”
In Romans 12: 1-2 (NIV) we are taught “therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
We have lived in a diet and fitness culture instead of a culture of wellness for most of our lives. It has created a society with weight bias assumptions leading to beliefs that thinner is healthier and that heavy people must be unwell. It is important to understand that health is not measured by size and shape but by specific biometrics. People compare their shape and size to the shape and size of other people and decide that God made a mistake if their size and shape are different from someone else’s. This is how the enemy plays with our thoughts and feelings and uses life experiences as his reinforcement.
We live in a broken and fallen world consumed by a diet and fitness culture focused on what is on the outside. But God cares about what is on the inside. 1 Samuel 16:7 (NIV) teaches us that “the Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” Jesus teaches us in Matthew 6:21 (NIV) that “where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Unfortunately, the stress and pressure of the propaganda diet and fitness culture in our world have turned many of our hearts toward worldly lies.
People tend to live healthy, whole, and fulfilling lives when they create a life of balance and find body acceptance by learning to embrace their bodies as a temple of the living Lord. They are also more likely to walk away from chronic dieting or disorder to please the world in favor of mindful eating to nourish their temple body in pursuit of fulfilling their purpose and learning to love the body God created for them to accomplish it in.
We are at the start of a new year after two years of great stress and uncertainty. Now is a wonderful time to take control of those things in your life that will help you create the best you in 2022 possible. I would like to invite you to learn more about how to nourish your temple body by joining me on Saturday morning January 15, 2022, at 10 AM EDT for a session I am leading at the Best You 2022 Virtual Women’s Summit entitled Becoming a Mindful Eater to learn how to honor God by honoring your body as you become mindful about what you eat, why you eat, and how you eat.
The Best You 2022 Virtual Women’s Summit is January 13-15, 2022. This FREE summit provides opportunities to increase joy, improve your prayer life, and learn some tips to help you in self-care. There are five different tracks – spiritual growth, self-care, bold living, leadership training, and expanding your reach. There are sixty speakers, and each speaker is giving away a GIFT to participants as well as prizes at the end of their session. It is a wonderful opportunity to learn and grow with only an investment of time. Get your FREE TICKET HERE and join me for a wonderful opportunity to learn and grow to be the best you in 2022!
Looking for a way to connect with God daily? CLICK HERE to check out our new daily devotional: Living in Truth Mind, Body, Spirit.
