Body image

I've always had an issue with how I look. Maybe it was some of the things that I was told as a kid that I can't stop replaying in my mind. Satan keeps bringing it all back to use against me. I've never really been the "skinny" girl. I've always had some extra weight in the belly and I've always covered it up pretty well. There are 2 times in my life that I can remember thinking, wow I'm pretty skinny: 1. my wedding day (I only weighed 118) and 2. Last summer when I was running with Leah weekly... Oh how I miss that. It was right before I found out I was pregnant for the 3rd time in 5 years.

Having 3 babies so close together has had it's toll on my body and mind. I definitely think there is need for much improvement, which is why I'm doing the 30 Day Shred. I've lost 3 inches in my waist alone in 1 week. Most of that is posture, I sit up straighter, I stand straighter, and I hold in my abs all day long. BUT, that's 3 inches!!! That's a lot!

I say this because I know I'm not the only woman to struggle with this. In fact, I don't know many women who don't struggle with their looks in one way or another. I keep reminding myself of a couple verses and thought I'd share them with you.

"Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come." 2 Corinthians 5:17 Many visual aids use a butterfly to represent this verse, which are beautiful creatures. :)

"But the Lord said to Samuel, 'Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outwar appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.'" 1 Samuel 16:7

This post is mostly to share that I've become VERY aware of what my words are doing to me and others around me and how they see me.

My 4 year old daughter tells me I have a fat belly all the time. She says this because when she asked why I was exercising I told her to get rid of my fat belly. I should have told her, because my body is a temple and I want to have it in the best shape that it can be.
"Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body." 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

1 more thing to drive this home: my precious 4 year old has a skewed vision of herself now. I will do everything in my power to correct this, but am using it to drive home this point to me and all other ladies who say the same things that I do.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3uHiYz71vRI


So, let's remember there are always little ears listening to what we say. Let's try to help our daughters now and fix their thought process about body image. :)