Body Image

I Peter 3:3-4 - "Don't be concerned about the outward beaty that depends on fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry, or beautiful clothes. ou shoul dbe known for the beauty that comes form within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God."

I struggle with my own body image. I look at myself in the mirror at every angle and pick out what I do and don't like about my body. I think my husband looks great. Sure, every now and then I wish that he'd drop a few pounds and get a little more active, but he has lost some weight with some tweaking of the diet. He gained some sympathy weight while I was pregnant, but overall I've always thought my husband was good-looking. I mean, I don't sit there and critique every inch of his body. I don't have time for that.

I need to balance my desire to have the perfect body with taking care of myself and being happy with who I am in God. Since the birth of my son, I have driven my weight from 180 pounds to 146 pounds. I am so happy about that! It took some work, but I wasn't overly obsessed about it. I don't think I was anyway. Well, I guess I had moments where I obsessed about it and wasn't happy with how fast I was losing weight. I tried to stay realistic with it though. I am now at a point where I like the weight I'm at, but I'd like to tone parts of my body. I have to remember that this will take time. In the meantime, I need to focus on taking care of my body by putting good food in it and exercising. Just by doing this, I will lose those few extra pounds and tone my body. All without obsessing about calories I put in and expend. I think that sort of outlook pleases God. I am caring for the temple He created. I need to work on the inner beauty that should shine from inside. That is my mission.