Tuesday, October 27, 2015
The Beginning
My body is a gift from God. I have been taught this concept from a young age. However, for a very long time I have abused that gift. It is like getting something from your Grandma and then never wearing it, even talking about how ugly it is, or how it's a useless piece of furniture.
I have struggled with body image like most people for a very long time. In fact, it brought me into the darkest places in my life. This darkness consumed everything, my everyday actions from what I would eat to even how I would interact with those around me. This obsession with the "perfect body" quickly became crippling and debilitating. I became very shallow and egocentric. There is a constant comparison that occurs between you and everyone around you. Tonight this obsession and lack of life began to fill my soul and my body became a beacon of shame rather than of light. And while this could turn to a very morbid and depressing post really quickly, instead tonight, I am going to turn it around before that darkness sneaks back.
It has taken me a long time to internalize this concept of my body being a gift from God. It has taken me a long time to accept this body for what it is. To realize that there is so much more to my body than the way it can look. Now I am finally beginning to understand; my body is strong I can lift things, I can stay awake to study for tests, my body enables me to hug those I love, hold my nephew. I have senses because I have a body. I can touch, feel, taste, smell, and hear. My body enables me to become more like my Heavenly Father. But what is even more beautiful is that my body is a shelter. My body houses the parts of me that are way more important then my outward appearance. My mind, my soul, my character.
My mother wrote me a letter a while back that had a message in it that read, "Outer Beauty attracts, but inner beauty captivates and lasts." Now I am not trying to downplay outer beauty, if you wanna wear tons of make up and that makes you happy do it, if you never wear make up a day in your life that's beautiful as well. When it comes to the body I would just say keep it healthy and nurture it. But not obsessively. In fact in this blog I want to share some of the stories, and things that have helped me to learn and accept my body but also ways I have learned to become healthy which has brought peace to not only my body, but my mind and soul as well.
When you are able to find that inner peace with your soul, you are able to find peace with your body. And once you love your body then the quest for change is no longer a quest based on comparison, but a quest based on a love of life and health. This is what I want for you and I. A life full of light, vibrancy, health and love. A life worth embracing.
xoxoxo
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“Every man stamps his value on himself. The price we challenge for ourselves is given us by others.—Man is made great or little by his own will.”
ReplyDelete—Johann von Schiller
What an incredible difference when you can honestly thank the Lord for who you are, to be grateful and happy to be you instead of disliking yourself or feeling pressure to be more than you are. Because of the world we live in today, everyone has to overcome the influences that seem to tear us down or falsely build us up. Acceptance of self does not come through worldly accomplishments or acceptance by others. Of course these things feel good and can be exciting and positive aspects of life. But thinking that acceptance of self comes from succeeding in the world is a very effective ploy of the adversary. Love for self; a deep, abiding peace; and knowing who you really are come from only one source—from God. Knowing you are loved and knowing true peace are invaluable. Anything else in the world pales by comparison. Knowing that Heavenly Father truly loves us and trusting that it is vital to Heavenly Father that we come home to him are some of the greatest motivators that we can have to give us the genuine desire to be true to him. With reverence for self based on God’s love, we will reject the temptations that otherwise would draw us to the pride of the world. We would love nothing more than God.
I found a great story to share that shows how others can effect us- but how we still have the choice to be ourselves and love the body God has given us.
Mickey Trockel told a story in class that illustrated the “victimization” of letting another person define us. A naturalist who saw an eagle in a chicken coop questioned the farmer as to why this eagle was in with the chickens? The farmer replied that the eagle was now a chicken. He had taught him to be a chicken and to peck corn along with all the other chickens. Thinking this was ridiculous, the naturalist took the eagle up a ladder and told it to spread its wings and flyaway. The eagle jumped down into the coop and pecked corn with the other chickens.
The naturalist was not to be discouraged. He took the eagle up to the top of the barn and told it to spread its wings and fly away, but the same thing happened again. “This just cannot be,” thought the naturalist. He asked the farmer if he might take him to a high cliff and try again.
The farmer laughed, “You can try anything, but I tell you, the eagle has learned that it is a chicken.”
The naturalist took the eagle high on a cliff and told it to spread its wings and fly away. The eagle looked to the sun, then spread its wings and soared over the valley. We can let others victimize us, even try to define us, but only when we look to the Son, the Son of God, Jesus Christ, will we know and appreciate ourselves as we really are.