A few years ago, I quit wearing black swimsuits. I was tired of trying to hide behind something that really wasn’t hiding anything at all. I’m headed to the beach this weekend and I’ve packed three swimsuits – turquoise with ruffles, red and white polka dot, and one that has neon accents and fringe. They’re all plus size, but they fit and they’re super cute.
With summer being here, it comes with a change in my wardrobe, which is always slightly terrifying. I’m already tired of wearing jeans, so I’m swapping them out for shorts and summer dresses, and all of my winter and spring tops are being replaced with tank tops and lighter shirts. As I looked in the mirror a few days ago, I started to be more aware of how pale my skin is, the redness in my arms, and the rogue hairs that I keep finding in odd places. Part of me wanted to just sweat it out in my jeans and long sleeve tops, but I know that’s not the answer.
Am I in the best shape of my life? Nope. I’m not sure that anyone would believe that I ran a half marathon a few years ago, and that eating healthy isn’t a foreign concept to me.
Why is it that we let the way we view our bodies dictate who we are when we know that’s not the answer?
God made me with red undertones in my skin. He gave me freckles that crop up when I’m out in the sun. I have bunions on my feet just like my mom. I could sit here and begin to pick apart every little thing about my body, but I won’t because I know it’s not honoring to the woman God created me to be. Some of those things are genetics, but others are choices I’ve made.
Part of me wants to cover up the things I don’t like about my body, but am I being true to who I really am? I may not be the smallest woman in a room, but I want to love my body – even when it’s not the size I wish it was.
“Don’t you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought at a price. So glorify God with your body.” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (CSB)
My body is a temple to the Lord, but I don’t always treat it like one. I can’t wish away the things I don’t just love about my body, but I also don’t need to try and flaunt it either. As women, we need to respect our bodies because of who Christ is in our lives. We have to think about the way we talk about our bodies, but also how we present ourselves. Are we constantly talking about wanting to be skinny in front of our daughters or younger women? Are we flaunting our bodies for attention from men?
The more we become confident in who we are in Christ, the more we become comfortable in our own skin.
One of my friends encouraged me a long time ago to embrace where I am because it’s where I am – no one has to know what size is on the tag of my shirt except for me, but I need to wear things that fit my body style well.
We often let our constant need for approval dictate how we see ourselves and what we think we need from other people. Our job is to cling to truth – truth that applies to right where we are today. We can’t change our bodies overnight, but we can start today to ask God to reframe the way we see ourselves. Once we start to see ourselves the way He sees us, it changes us from the inside out. The beauty that he has created is not only seen in who we are, but how we present ourselves to others.
“Finally brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable—if there is any moral excellence and if there is anything praiseworthy—dwell on these things.” Philippians 4:8 (CSB)
As you get ready to switch your closet over, what voice is speaking into your life about how you view yourself? I’m not saying you need to quit wearing your black swimsuit, but what change can you make this summer in the way that you view your body so that you’re starting to see yourself the way God sees you? Next week I’ll be the plus size girl soaking up the sun in the turquoise ruffled one-piece, with my family and a good book in my hand. I’m grateful that while I still have work to do, I’m beginning to look at myself the way that God sees me.
Mary Margaret Collingsworth serves as an Event Project Coordinator at Lifeway Christian Resources and coordinates training events for women in leadership. She has a passion to see women engaged in ministry and living out their calling. Mary Margaret loves teaching God’s Word, eating Mexican food, calling Nashville home, and hosting Lifeway Women’s {MARKED} podcast. Follow her on Twitter: @marymargaretc.
