[This is a guest post by Stephanie from Crayon Marks and Tiger Stripes. You can read her bio below, and you should really stalk follow her blog like I do! ~Emily]
It’s a new year and like most of the world, you may have made a resolution to lose weight and get healthy. That is a great resolution! But can I ask you a question?
Who are you doing it for?
Yourself or Christ?
Resolutions are great as long as Christ is at the center of them.
I’ll be the first to admit that I struggled with putting Christ at the center when I decided it was time to lose the weight after the birth of my son. I had gained 60 lbs during my pregnancy (30 lbs right at the end from pre-eclampsia! Ugh!). I’d always heard that pregnancy was a beautiful thing and it gives a woman a glow. I felt hideous, uncomfortable, and so far from beautiful. My delivery was far from what I had imagined and I felt my body had failed me. For the next year after my son was born, I was ashamed of my body and I allowed Satan to fill my mind with the worst of words: ugly, disgusting, unattractive, unacceptable… I was completely consumed by my outward appearance that I forgot that Christ calls my body a temple; a temple that was bought at a price (1 Corinthians 6: 19-20).
The Great Deceiver knows we are vulnerable about the way we feel about our own bodies and he will use images in our culture, words on paper, and anything he can to persuade us that we are ugly and worthless. He will try to convince us that we must meet the unattainable standards of perfection. Don’t allow him to do that! Don’t let him win!
There is only one who is Perfect, my friends. And He died on a cross for you so that you might live!
The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. 1 Samuel 16:7
When you are working at that resolution of living a healthy lifestyle, remember that verse. Plaster it all over the house. Put Christ at the center of your goals. He wants you to take care of your body. It is a gift that He gave you, but don’t do it for vain purposes. Do it for Him.
Losing weight is far more a spiritual battle than it is a physical one. It took me over a year and a half to lose 80 lbs, but I wasn’t successful until I began to truly cling to God’s Word. I began to replace self-doubt and unkind words with prayer and affirmation. I’m telling you, negative body image is a spiritual warfare! A battleground that can only be won with Christ fighting for you at your side!
Christ longs for us to feel valued. He delights in our beauty. In fact, He sees our beauty as a reflection of His beauty. Beauty to Him is not one-dimensional as the world sees it, but multi-dimensional. It encompasses body, soul, spirit, mind and emotions. –Stephanie Farley
That’s right, friends. I just quoted myself 😉 Allow those words to sink in. You are BEAUTIFUL. Your beauty is a reflection of HIS beauty. He delights in you! Put Him at the center of those resolutions, sweet friend!
I can do everything through Him who gives me strength. Philippians 4:13
Sure, you may mess up. Remember Peter? The guy who denied Christ not once, but three times (John 18: 15-27)! The one who walked on water with the Messiah and began to sink when doubt filled his mind (Matthew 14:22-33)! He messed up. He messed up big, but Christ loved Peter with all his heart, flaws and all.
Replace negative thoughts with prayer and affirmations. Be intentional about putting Him at the center in all that you do. It’s amazing what a different attitude can do for those resolutions. Love your body because it is a beautiful gift from God. Love yourself because He personally knit you in your mother’s womb!
Let’s Talk! How do you balance the spiritual side of losing weight?
 |
Stephanie is wife to Dr. Smartypants and mom to a little red headed boy. She’s a Christ follower, a do-it-yourselfer, a list lover and coffeeaholic. She lives by the slogan: I am mommy! Hear me roar! She writes to encourage women in their journeys as mothers and wives. When she’s not tending to her little ginger’s every need, you can find her at Crayon Marks and Tiger Stripes where she blogs about healthy living, maintaining a positive body image, faith, and the ups and downs of parenting. You can also find her on Twitter and on Facebook. |