I have gone through years of insecurity: years of hating myself, my body, and my mind. The more I opened up about these insecurities, the more I realized how many other human beings struggle with their body image. A majority of the people I know either have or are currently dealing with this. Sometimes we let this idea that we are imperfect control our every action, resulting in all sorts of unhealthy behaviors. Then came 2015, the year of #bopo (body positive) and #effyourbeautystandards. "My, look how far we have come!" exclaimed everyone everywhere. "Screw society! We are free from these ideals!" proclaimed the feminists. "I love me!" stated every other social media user. Pictures filled my news feeds of men and women renouncing the holds of insecurity in their lives... "I love me", they cried. And I believed them. But, alas. What started and was intended as an empowering movement. became an excuse to give up - to give up on a healthy lifestyle, to give up on individuality, to give up on being truly free from insecurity. Right now, you probably want to slap me. I understand. But hear me out: Telling society that they suck isn't what frees you from the lies. Telling all of your followers on social media that you truly do love your cellulite or lack thereof isn't what frees you from the lies. Telling the world that you truly believe you're beautiful isn't what frees you from the lies. "But what about their confidence? It takes true courage to post those things with such honesty!" Heck yeah, it takes courage! But no amount of posting or using "inspirational" hashtags will separate you from an insecurity which you have claimed as your own. No amount of telling yourself that you hate society's standards and see yourself as beautiful will make you feel better. So here's the problem: We think the body God gave to us isn't good enough. In Genesis 1:27, the Bible says, "God created mankind in His own image, in the image of God He created them; male and female He created them." NIV See that?? You are created in the image of God Himself, the Creator of the stars, the Creator of you. You are covered in His fingerprint. Once you accept this fact, your road to #bopo will be less of convincing yourself and more of living in freedom. Yes, those online inspiration accounts are awesome. They are some of the first things I see each morning, serving as reminders to the beautiful person I am created to be. My concern for the world is that we will become so consumed with convincing ourselves that we are #unique and spend more time embracing our curves or bones that we forget to bask in the glory of God and His truths about our bodies. Our bodies are a temple. (1 Cor. 6:19) With those truths in mind, I can now tell you: Love the skin you are in. Take care of your body. You are perfect the way you were created. YOU are not insecure. Insecurity is a struggle, not an identity. Love yourself. Rock your height and size. God made you to be you, and your build is part of that. Don't waste time trying to look like someone else. Ignore society's ridiculous and ever-changing beauty standards. Embrace your "imperfections," for they are what make you unique. After all, they aren't really imperfections. You bear the image of God, and He is perfect. Don't believe otherwise. I believe in the power of body positivity. I also know that true confidence in our bodies is achieved when we believe the biblical truths as God's creations. So go rock that "I am beautiful" selfie on Instagram. I'll probably like it and comment some comment like "whatta babe". But when you look in the mirror next, tell yourself this: "I am created by God, in His image. He is perfect, therefore I am beautiful, loved, and accepted. His truths are all I need." Because that's the truth behind body positivity.
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AuthorI'm a college student with a passion to empower women, spread the love of Christ, and speak truth into the darkness. I also really like cats and Taylor Swift. Archives
October 2018
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