There is a flattering mirror in the gym that makes me look like I don’t need to be at the gym. I have noticed it and while I usually avoid mirrors, I actually linger in front of this particular spot. I have believed its lies...
I have a good friend who decorated her dorm room in college with all kinds of things: pictures, paintings, dream catchers, a Relient K poster, quotes and Bible verses. One particular thing stood out to me, though. It was a sheet of paper attached to...
There are two types of dressing rooms in this world. The first, my favorite type of dressing rooms, are the ones with comfy chairs and trendy wall decorations and lighting dim enough to shadow the price tag and mirrors that somehow magically make me look...
The heart change began as I was having a conversation with a friend about her struggles with body image and views on food and exercise. She felt the need to confess something to me, and I was there—a shoulder to lean on, an ear to...
Talk about “shaping our bodies” likely conjures up images of exercise, diet, discipline, weight lifting, and the like. Few of us would immediately think about the tongue and its power to shape our bodies, but words play a powerful role—something we must look at it...
I have had a weight problem since I was nine years old. The real issue behind my struggle is food. I began to turn to food as a reward when I was a child. As I got older, I found that food brought comfort. I...
We’ve all heard it said that comparisons are thieves of joy. I think that’s true, but even truer is the fact that the enemy himself is a thief and comparisons are weapons in his arsenal. Lately, I’ve realized that comparison is my default mode....
Everything we do as an embodied image bearer reflects the nature of God. Do … [you] point others back to Him? (Body Matters, p.42) That question stopped me in my tracks. The idea that everything I do with my body being intended to point to...
Trust me, you do not want to be around my family on game night. Only the strong survive, my friends. This competitiveness is simultaneously one of the most endearing and exasperating characteristics of my family. Whether its poker, charades, Monopoly, Risk, Balderdash, or Settlers of...
The “Me” series was a lot to process, bringing much conviction of my sinful bent to love myself more than God. But in the midst of all that conviction, Bill’s message on “Vanity: I Love/Hate My Body” brought an unexpected word of comfort to this...
In my fiftieth year of life, there are some aspects I like about getting older, such as growing a bit wiser, more experienced, more focused, and less concerned about little things that don’t matter. But other things, I don’t like at all, such as the...
I stopped immediately as they walked by, pausing mid-sentence to take it all in – the beauty, the perfectly coiffed hair, the slim figures, the flawless skin, the unique and expensive dresses accessorized with the perfect heels and equally expensive jewelry. They oozed money, status,...
I was looking in the mirror the other morning at my body. I have been working hard to eat right and exercise in order to lose the weight I gained while pregnant. My goal weight is now within my grasp. Success brought a smile of...
Spending a weekend on a retreat with a few hundred middle school kids can make you feel either really young or really old (or both, depending on the time of day!)....
Body Matters. Body matters. Really? Well, the culture sure says so. Look at any magazine rack. Clearly, the body matters, particularly the young, shapely, alluring female body....
I have always had a slightly disordered perception of food. As a teenager, I ate without giving it much thought. The only caveat was calories. I never looked at ingredients or bothered with the nutrition (or lack thereof), but I constantly checked the number of...
Not long ago I posted about being an ezer in the second half of life. I’m truly thankful for how God is teaching me to trust Him in embracing the ever-changing relational seasons of my life. But here’s the flip side of my journey in...
This is embarrassing to admit, but in my late forties I am just now accepting the fact that I will never have a perfect body. I’m sure some of you are thinking, Hello! Of course not! But I have been reluctant to let go...
This morning as I drank my coffee, I clicked on the Greenville News online edition to scan the headlines. The title of the last article immediately caught my eye. It said “25 of the most beautiful women of Greenville.”...
Last year was a challenging year for me. I struggled with deep-seated insecurity and spent months begging God to “fix” the physical flaws that caused such grief. ...
I was 16 weeks pregnant with my second child. I arrived at the doctor’s office feeling good about myself, considering the only appetizing food to me was Cheetoes....
In my Ezer group, one lady said that comparison is a thief of joy. I thought long and hard about how comparison is beneficial for me since I compare all the time....
Ok, I admit it- I like to read about celebrities. On one site I frequent, typical headlines include, “XYZ Celeb Debuts Incredible Post-Baby Body” or “ABC Reality Star Shows Off Slim Bikini Body.” Upon closer inspection, I’ve noticed that these articles make me...
I understand that I am made in God’s image and I believe that he sees me as his beautiful child, but sometimes I feel like I could better embrace that idea if I were just ten pounds lighter....
As someone who has battled being overweight since childhood, pregnancy brings unique challenges to how I handle body image. Shifting my thinking to accept weight gain as necessary and even good becomes a consistent struggle....