Love is a Statement

“Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:”
Colossians 1:15-16 

The last time you looked at yourself in the mirror what did you think or say in your head? Did you ask if what you were wearing or the thoughts you had of yourself were reflecting the image of God? Just yesterday I went to Old Navy and tried on some of those high waisted swimsuit bottoms. I had been seeing them on girls and thought they were so cute! However when I tried them on I thought to myself that I looked like I had an adult diaper on. They were not flattering in my eyes to how they would have looked on other women. I began to spiral, looking at myself, bummed out I couldn’t pull off a swimsuit as best as others.

It isn’t just that I tore myself apart that bothered me so much as I later reflected on my shopping experience. I know I am loved by God and that I should thank Him for the body He has given me, even if I have a hard time doing so. It was when I began to reflect on the Biblical truth that not only am I supposed to be grateful for the body God has given me, but my body is supposed to be a literal walking reflection of Him that I began to realize I had a disconnect somewhere. In that moment in the dressing room I was not just ungrateful for the body God has blessed me with, I was giving a poor reflection of Christ working through me in my thoughts and actions because of my insecurities. Do you know that we actually have no right to be unhappy in our bodies? We are simply stewards of our bodies, and as stewards we are just looking after the bodies God has given us. How rude would it be if someone asked me to look after their daughter and I just kept thinking or saying how ugly they were in my head and then later talked about it to someone else? That would be terrible, and yet that is exactly what I did, and what we do constantly. You do not own your body, you are just a steward, which by definition means someone that looks after something for someone else. You and I are simply called to look after God’s bodies and take care of them, not think we have ownership over them. 

So what statement are you making about God’s creation? Are you wishing you were a summary of all of your desires fulfilled (beautiful, successful, accepted by all, super mom, amazing wife, loyal friend, loving sister, able to pull off high-waisted swimsuit bottoms)? Are you forming your opinion about yourself based on those desires instead of forming your opinions around God seeing you as “very good” when he created you? When you do this you become an image bearer of yourself and not God. You allow your own desires to reflect greater than God’s. For where your perception of yourself is, is exactly where you find your value. So whether we are sick or healthy or have a high or low metabolism, anything God has given us is a blessing and should be treated as just that. After all, our bodies belong to God and he has graciously given them to us.

Questions to Ponder: 

1. What is your perception of yourself and the body God has given you to steward?

2. Have you asked God for forgiveness over speaking poorly of His creation?   

Today’s Reading:

Colossians 1