I'm pretty sure lots of girls have been self conscious about their size at some point in their life. I've never had a real problem with my weight and I usually take advantage of my high metabolism but over the holidays, I definitely gained a little bit of weight... and was NOT happy about it. I tried working out and eating better, but had a hard time sticking to it. So my frustration with my lack of discipline combined with jealousy of seriously skinny girls, caused me to be unsatisfied with my own body. I don't really know why, but part of it might have been seeing girls with smaller waists than mine trying to diet and calling themselves fat. If they were literally skinnier than me, and thought they were fat, then that must mean I'm seriously overweight. But I'm done with believing that stuff. So what if I'm not just skin and bones? So what if I order a burger over a salad? I like the way I look and I'm tired of feeling like I'm not skinny enough.
You know, I was having a hard time figuring out what to write about on here. But before this challenge, I had looked up what the Bible had to say about beauty. I had found and bookmarked an article on the Focus On The Family website called What The Bible Says About Beauty And Appearance (check it out here: I am said article. Click me. ). I was just looking back at it now to see what other passages they pulled to relate to this topic. Granted, it's an article to moms to talk to their daughters about, but it has some great points.
1 Timothy 4:8 "for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come."
Here's what the article had to say about this verse:
"What it means: Exercising and staying in shape is a good thing, but God expects us to stay in shape spiritually by reading our Bibles, praying, and going to church on a regular basis. In other words, there will be plenty of people who put their time and effort into staying in shape but who are out of shape spiritually. If they don't know Jesus Christ, their perfect bodies won't get them through the gates of heaven. "
In my One Year Devos For Teens 2 by Susie Shellenberger, it's still on the topic of loving when it's tough. But something that caught my eye was this, "Love and spiritual growth go together. It's impossible to become a mature, strong Christian without learning how to love as Jesus does." According to dictionary.com, godliness (like in 1 Timothy 4:8) means "conforming to the laws and wishes of God". So according to John 15:9-12 ("As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.") God's wishes are for us to love others. So by loving others, we're displaying godliness. By displaying godliness, we live out 1 Timothy 4:8. We become spiritually fit, which is so much more important and rewarding than just being in shape physically.
No comments:
Post a Comment