If there is one verse I wish all active women could "get", it's this one. I memorized it several years ago. It's been a powerful tool for me.
We live in a world where "perfect" bodies scream at us from every angle. Magazines, TV, movies. Everywhere. We know in our minds that it isn't realistic. That the magazine covers are photoshopped, and that the Actresses kill themselves with trainers for hours on end for movie roles. Yet, we can still have this piece of us that thinks "but if I work and obsess hard enough, I MIGHT just get there." This healthy living journey is so easy to become obsessed about. Even for me. The last couple months I've really had to work at reminding myself of this and snapping out of it. This is one of the verses I remind myself of OFTEN when I feel myself starting to lean towards the obsession part.
We can get to a place where we're idolizing our bodies above everything else and that is NOT the point of training and fueling our bodies well. This verse reminds me that Yes, physical training is important. But it isn't the end all be all. It isn't the focus. Becoming more like Christ is. The process of sanctification. Sanctification is a lifelong journey of becoming more like Christ. It's setting aside time each day to study His Word. It's talking to him, continually, in prayer. It's joining other Believers in worship and community. It's showing His love and joy to those around us. It's sharing His salvation with those who seek it.
Eating healthy, cooking healthy, and exercising are important. We're called to honor Christ with our bodies (1 Cor 10:31). But we're not supposed to do it at the expense of idolizing it. Idol worship isn't just about worshipping a golden calf or a statue. It's about putting something, other than God, in our heart's #1 spot.
Here's 3 very practical ways I work to keep this in line, in my own life:
1) Daily Jesus Time
By setting aside time EACH DAY to study His word, talk to Him, and grow in my relationship with Him, I'm feeding myself TRUTH and remembering where my focus should be.
2) Unfollow Button
Yep. I said it. If there's a girl I follow on social media that is causing me to stumble in my walk, or feel so jealous and insecure about myself that it's all I think about - I unfollow them. It doesn't happen often because I've learned what my triggers are, but I'm not afraid to do it if I need to! It helps me keep my focus where it should be and not on obsessing over what my body looks like compared to hers.
3) Know your triggers & Avoid them
Do some soul searching and figure out what triggers you to obsess over your health and/or body. It's different for everybody. What triggers me might not trigger you, and vise versa. The point is, figure it out and AVOID IT when possible. Sometimes it isn't always possible, but if it is DO IT. Believe me, it helps tremendously.
Today, take some time to stop and evaluate yourself: are you idolizing your body? Are you allowing your body to become #1, instead of letting God have that #1 spot in your thoughts, actions, etc? Work through it with the Lord and come up with a game plan to combat it. Maybe you, too, need to commit this verse to memory!
We live in a world where "perfect" bodies scream at us from every angle. Magazines, TV, movies. Everywhere. We know in our minds that it isn't realistic. That the magazine covers are photoshopped, and that the Actresses kill themselves with trainers for hours on end for movie roles. Yet, we can still have this piece of us that thinks "but if I work and obsess hard enough, I MIGHT just get there." This healthy living journey is so easy to become obsessed about. Even for me. The last couple months I've really had to work at reminding myself of this and snapping out of it. This is one of the verses I remind myself of OFTEN when I feel myself starting to lean towards the obsession part.
We can get to a place where we're idolizing our bodies above everything else and that is NOT the point of training and fueling our bodies well. This verse reminds me that Yes, physical training is important. But it isn't the end all be all. It isn't the focus. Becoming more like Christ is. The process of sanctification. Sanctification is a lifelong journey of becoming more like Christ. It's setting aside time each day to study His Word. It's talking to him, continually, in prayer. It's joining other Believers in worship and community. It's showing His love and joy to those around us. It's sharing His salvation with those who seek it.
Eating healthy, cooking healthy, and exercising are important. We're called to honor Christ with our bodies (1 Cor 10:31). But we're not supposed to do it at the expense of idolizing it. Idol worship isn't just about worshipping a golden calf or a statue. It's about putting something, other than God, in our heart's #1 spot.
Here's 3 very practical ways I work to keep this in line, in my own life:
1) Daily Jesus Time
By setting aside time EACH DAY to study His word, talk to Him, and grow in my relationship with Him, I'm feeding myself TRUTH and remembering where my focus should be.
2) Unfollow Button
Yep. I said it. If there's a girl I follow on social media that is causing me to stumble in my walk, or feel so jealous and insecure about myself that it's all I think about - I unfollow them. It doesn't happen often because I've learned what my triggers are, but I'm not afraid to do it if I need to! It helps me keep my focus where it should be and not on obsessing over what my body looks like compared to hers.
3) Know your triggers & Avoid them
Do some soul searching and figure out what triggers you to obsess over your health and/or body. It's different for everybody. What triggers me might not trigger you, and vise versa. The point is, figure it out and AVOID IT when possible. Sometimes it isn't always possible, but if it is DO IT. Believe me, it helps tremendously.
Today, take some time to stop and evaluate yourself: are you idolizing your body? Are you allowing your body to become #1, instead of letting God have that #1 spot in your thoughts, actions, etc? Work through it with the Lord and come up with a game plan to combat it. Maybe you, too, need to commit this verse to memory!
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