I wanted to write today about a topic that has been a struggle for me on and off throughout the years - positive body image. We live in a world full of social media “perfection” and Instagram filters, that it can be so easy to get lost in it all. We start to liken ourselves to the people we see online and, even though we know that sometimes it is not reality, we forget that each of was made special. We don’t need to compare ourselves to anyone. We look in the mirror and see all of our flaws so clearly, even no one else does.
I have struggled with this particular thing for a very long time. My earliest memories were from middle school, around the age when we started to notice things like that about ourselves. This struggle has been one of those that I would deem a rollercoaster struggle - I have had high moments, but I also have had plenty of lows. I wanted to write this as a encouragement to myself and everyone else out there who has struggled with this particular topic.
One of the things I need to remember is that I have been made in the image of God. “So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them” (Genesis 1:27). God created each one of us to look like him. He never intended for us to look in the mirror and not like what we see. He wanted us to look and see himself in us. God blessed you with the body you have and created you exactly the way you were meant to be. As long as you are respectfully caring for the body God gave you, there is no reason to feel that anything about your physical body is a flaw. “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made...” (Psalm 134:14a).
Another thing I need to remember is that when God looks at me, he sees the beautiful creation he has made. “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago” (Ephesians 2:10). He truly thinks of us as his masterpiece. We are a work of art he is proud to put his name on, and because of that we should be proud to claim it too. I need to remember that I have been created completely unique by my God, and should be confident that God made me exactly as he wanted me to be. And that’s something to celebrate!
God created you to be a reflection of himself to the world, inside and out. My prayer is that you would take a look in the mirror and see the beautiful creation you are in Jesus Christ. You are God’s original masterpiece!
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