Aging sucks. Even more so when you’ve never quite had a love affair with your body. All of a sudden, the curves you always hated aren’t just soft—they’re wrinkling and sagging, too. It can be difficult to make peace with the situation. In fact, it can really bring you down if you let it.
Personally, loving my body has always been difficult. I struggled with anorexia for more than a decade—and body dysmorphia for decades more. But recently someone said two words that changed everything: “Godly Body.” I know what you’re thinking: my body isn’t godly. It isn’t even stately! That’s OK. Having a Godly Body doesn’t require super model thighs or flawless skin. It just requires a change in perspective.
What is a Godly Body?
A Godly Body is one that is healthful and strong—fueled to fulfill its purpose. It’s one that has the stamina to serve, the arms to hug, and the hands to hold when someone needs you to. It’s one that allows you to reflect God—whatever that means to you—with your smile, truth, and heart. Having a Godly Body isn’t about size or shape. It’s about making sure your body is strong enough to serve, in whatever capacity.
What is NOT a Godly Body?
A Godly Body isn’t one that requires air brushing and hardcore pilates. Wrinkles don’t ruin it. Cellulite doesn’t devalue it. A round tummy or muffin tops don’t embarrass it. A Godly Body doesn’t base its value on “likes” and “follows.” It gains its value in its ability to do what it does. That’s where it finds its beauty. It isn’t shy about showing itself when its skills are in demand. It doesn’t hide, refuse to wear bathing suits, or jump in the deep end when that is needed.
A Godly Body is one that doesn’t have to change—so long as the spirit behind it is still committed to using and caring for it in the most valuable way possible. Whether you are 20 or 70, your Godly Body can still look the same, so long as you take care of it.
The truth is, we were never meant to see anything but our Godly Bodies—in ourselves and or one another. No one created us just to be beautiful or wrinkle-free. We were made for something greater than self-judgment. We were made to use our bodies to see the beauty in all things—including ourselves.
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