Body Positive

Hey PWEN people!

With summertime right around the corner and people making plans for vacations and getting into shape, I wanted to talk to you about body positivity. I know we’ve all heard the phrase thrown around before but body positivity is “a social movement focused on the acceptance of all bodies, regardless of size, shape, skin tone, gender, and physical abilities.”

I bring up this topic because as the sun gets hotter, we tend to be more self-conscious as well as more self-critical about the bodies that God has given us. One of the first times that I was seriously trying to lose weight in my youth, I had a very toxic habit. I would look in the mirror for several minutes poking at every piece of fat, every dent, and stretch mark that I saw, then I would spend even more time hurling out insults about the way I looked. I would follow this up with a “go hard” workout at the gym and wonder why I couldn’t get it together.

Though I had the getting myself healthier by going to the gym part right, I spoke death over the body that was meant to carry out the fitness mission. Just as I’ve done this, I know many of you have too and we’ve got to stop it. The words we speak in general but especially over our bodies aren’t light. They are heavy and carry the weight of our God who created us in His image.

In first Corinthians 15:43 Apostle Paul writes in his letter to the church of Corinth that “our bodies are buried in brokenness, but they will be raised in glory. They are buried in weakness, but they will be raised in strength.” Our bodies along with our words, are powerful, can be transformed, and are important to Jesus. Our bodies help us carry out purpose in Christ and are worthy of our respect. I submit to you today that if you change your language about your body, you’ll change your life.

As Apostle Paul said, our bodies are buried, as in laid to rest, in brokenness but are the raised again in GLORY! I know that our bodies can have us feeling broken but don’t fret! You don’t have to stay in that brokenness; you can and will transform. From brokenness to glory says the word of God! Apostle Paul also said that our bodies are buried in weakness and raised in strength. What this says to me is that there is strength on the other side of the struggle that we have with our bodies.

Once again your body can and will transform but it has to start with the words that we speak over ourselves. I might not have the 6-pack that I want yet but I refuse to continue to curse the body that Jesus freed me for. One day it will become the positive things that we’re speaking and wanting to see it as.

Til’ next time adieu.