Daily Devotionals

Making Peace With an Imperfect Body

So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” Genesis 1:27

Have you ever pondered this question: How can I come to a peaceable meeting with an “awkward” body?

Too many of us have been painfully trained — by ourselves and the world — to believe our bodies aren’t normal or beautiful unless they are in “perfect” proportions. Tell me, please … where is the Bible verse to help the woman who feels too short, too top-heavy, too thin, too tall or too wide?

Ah, yes, here it is:

“So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them” (Genesis 1:27).

OK … but when He created me in His image, was He aware of the upcoming skinny jean fad? Because that is definitely not a look I can pull off. And why are they called “skinny jeans” when they can be found in the Women’s World section under 28 plus-plus?

As women, it seems we’re always chasing an unending quest for perfection. We have our credit cards armed and ready to try something, anything, to achieve something else. Something close to “perfect.”

So, friend, tell me, what is perfect? And who first drew our eyes down to look at our belly buttons and begin to pick ourselves apart by questioning, “What is wrong with me?” I submit that self-hatred keeps us focused on self and not on God and all He has planned for us.

And this, this is huge: I believe the enemy uses shame to keep us stuck.

How dare we be ashamed of the temple where God has chosen to dwell?

If you are ashamed, friend, maybe you have neglected the truth of exactly who you are. I know this was true of me. I wasn’t just guilty of overconsumption, an abnormal affection for soft cheeses and a partiality to napping. I was ashamed of who I was. And if I was ashamed of who I was, the size on my clothes, my hairstyle, marathon medals or prescription medications weren’t ever going to matter.

Until I was able to accept God’s forgiveness AND stop being ashamed of myself, there would be no progress. So, I wrote it out:

You are the daughter of the Most High. He died for you so He would be with you for eternity. He did this so you would never face condemnation, ever. You are whole and complete. He wants you to live a life of abundant peace and joy and share it with others, so they too will know of His goodness. This is the Good News.

Say it with me: “OK, this is me. This is my current situation. For this moment, I am OK with this. God’s grace is sufficient.”

Heavenly Father, help me remember who I am and whose I am. Open my eyes and mind to see and understand the truth in Your Word that I am Your masterpiece, created in Your image. Give me the courage to speak these truths to myself each day. Thank You for loving every part of me even when I don’t. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Take a moment to write out who you are in God’s eyes. Then every morning when you look in the mirror, repeat those truths to yourself.

Ephesians 2:10, “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.”