God intended our bodies to make us feel special, not insecure.
It’s hard to go to a swimming pool or clothing store without hearing other girls complain about flaws they see in their bodies and the insecurities that they feel. It has become an epidemic and even by listening to other girls complain about their bodies, it’s easy to discover a few personal insecurities. God did not intend for us to focus on our flaws. He created each and every one of our bodies and did not mean for them to be a point of stress in our lives. Rather He desires for them to be a point of celebration.
God makes no mistakes; He created every part of us with great care. By shaming our bodies and not treating them well, we shame God’s work spent creating us. We should celebrate all that He did and not treat our bodies badly – they don’t deserve such negativity and neither do we. Each and every person is different, which is pretty cool. We need to be proud and embrace our differences and not focus on comparing our bodies to someone else’s.
Celebrating our bodies not only means treasuring it, but also making sure it stays healthy by treating it right. Healthy doesn’t mean being super skinny and having tight abs, but it means eating right, staying active and gaining enough sleep in order to develop the brain. Although there’s nothing wrong with treating ourselves to sweet and sugary snacks, it’s vital that we feed our bodies with enough nutrients to function. Not eating enough food can only do our bodies harm. We need energy from food in order to think and focus in school, play sports and do just about everything in between. Going outside and playing soccer or going to dance practice gives our bodies the exercise it needs. Being active also includes staying active in your community and making sure you don’t spend half your day parked on the couch. Always remember that the human body is a temple and when we treat it right, it will treat us well right back.
God wants us to love our bodies, and a lot of times we don’t do a great job. Positive body image comes from within, and by eliminating negative thoughts you make room for a positive self-image. When we focus on the parts of our body that we love, we’re able to minimize the aspects we don’t love. God doesn’t like to see us stress and feel uncomfortable about our bodies, which are a gift from Him. God gave us many gifts and talents, and our bodies are just one of the many gifts we have received from Him. Our body does not define who we are, but it sure does make each one of us special and unique. Even if we can’t admit to loving every single part of our bodies, if we don’t focus on the unfavorable parts, we’re all still capable of loving our bodies as a whole and giving thanks to God for them.
