Wonderfully Made

Today was story time at the library today. The theme was “I am special!” and we sang songs and read books about how we are all unique, special individuals. How there’s no one else like us. I thought about how wonderful it was to see kids singing about loving themselves, just because they are themselves. And then I thought about how much of that is lost as kids grow up.

I thought about our culture of fat shaming. How we are desperate to lose weight, to be like that skinny model on TV. How we are sometimes our own worst critic, and the meanest remarks about ourselves come from…ourselves. What happened? Where did that love for ourselves go?

Before story time today, my friend’s three year old asked me why my tummy was so big (kids have no filters, amiright? Haha!). I replied, “Because that’s how I am!” I could have told him it is big because it has housed and grown two beautiful babies. Or because I have little self-control when it comes to ice cream. Or because I can’t get the time in the mornings to work out like I’d like to. But honestly, those are just excuses. And right now, in this very moment, I have a big tummy. And I am ok with that. I accept my big tummy, with its silvery stretch marks. That doesn’t mean I have no desire to be healthier. But I don’t have to hate myself-or hate on myself-in order for me to have the drive and desire to get healthy.

I am special. Of course the Bible mentions this too. “I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” Wonderfully made. How often do we think of ourselves as “wonderfully made?” What joyful freedom there is in remembering that we are wonderfully made, in the image of God Himself! And not just our looks, but our personalities, our laugh, our emotions. Wonderfully made.

My daughter is four months old, and as she grows older I want her to believe that she is beautiful, and wonderful, and special. Not because of a number on a scale or the size clothes she can wear, but because she is herself. Because she is fearfully and wonderfully made. Yet, how can I instill this in her, and be full of hatred for myself? No, I must learn to love and accept me, the way I am. Not just for my daughter’s sake, but for my own sake as well. I encourage you to do the same.

It is also important to remember that when we spew hate-speech at ourselves, we are talking to God’s beloved creation. That is not ok. So I challenge you, as you look in the mirror this week, to speak kind words to yourself. Work on thinking positively about your body. Start to accept yourself, just the way you are. Doesn’t mean you can’t want to change. After all, we should be taking care of this body that God has entrusted us with. But at the end of the day, negative self-talk isn’t going to take care of our bodies any more than a double cheeseburger and super size coke will. And if we see ourselves as worthless garbage, we’re not going to be very inspired to try and change that. The beauty of our God is that He accepts us just as we are. And we should too.

And for the record, I wrote this post while devouring a giant turtle ice cream bar. And it was delicious.