Bear with me...this is a sermon!
I love sharing fitness information with any & everyone. I love equipping people with the exercise & nutrition knowledge they need to make changes toward a healthier lifestyle. I love empowering people to take control of their health & their lives. I believe that every single person has the capability to become a better version of their current state. God created this amazing creation that is our body to function in incredible ways, and I believe that it is our responsibility and our GIFT to use our bodies to their greatest abilities!
Most of the people I chat with desire a better looking body. They want to look in the mirror and "like what they see". To them, this means getting skinny and toning up. In my humble opinion, however, that is a very small part of what it takes reach the place that these people are striving for. Let me share with you what I believe to be the truth.
We all want to look great, right? And we have been conditioned to believe that looking "great" means being tiny, toned, and beautiful by the world's standards. Most of us would enjoy looking in the mirror and seeing a reflection that resembles something a little more J.Lo and a little less "me," right? But you will never be anyone but YOU. Idolizing someone else will do nothing for you except create a BOOMING opportunity for failure. No weight, no skin-tone, and no perkiness in the glute-region will bring happiness if you don't ALREADY love and respect yourself. This doesn't mean that you have to enjoy being overweight. It doesn't mean that you have to be satisfied with lacking any muscle tone. But, it is so important to accept yourself where you're at! Shame will not change your circumstances. In fact, it will hinder you!
If you are going to put the effort into fixing your physical body, you need to take a step back and examine the rest of yourself. You are the being that God created, and He created you PERFECTLY. You may have done some damage to that beautiful creation here and there, but nothing is irreversible, and what could be more pleasing to God than a child who loves and is
thankful for the body that God gifted to him or her. Loving and appreciating that body means to choose to treat it like the temple that it is. Make it a beautiful place for The Holy Spirit to dwell. A place that is free of stress and self-loathing. A place that houses joy and forgiveness and humility. A place so full of love, both for self (because it is a creation of The Mighty God) and for others, that it overflows to the world around.
Next time you look in the mirror and find yourself judging the image you see, do this for me. Think of one person who loves you intensely. That person depends on you. That person benefits in big time ways just from knowing you! To that person, you are worth more than words can even describe. If you can think of no other purpose for your life, God is using you in that person's life. He is working THROUGH you in that person's life. You are worth so much to that person and worth so much to God. You are worth loving. You are WORTH taking time to treat your body kindly. No matter what state your body might be in, you are worth loving RIGHT now, at this moment. When you realize this, the only direction to move is up! Every decision you make is made with love and gratitude for your creator and for your body! No longer is your attempt at a healthier life a stressful and depressing process full of failure. It becomes an ongoing journey, reaching every day for the best you can get out of yourself. Embrace the body you've been given. Embrace who you are and where you're at EVERY day. You might find that you actually ENJOY treating your body with love :)
Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.
-Peace. Health. RoxyB!!
