Do you know that the Bible does NOT command thinness? God wants you and me to take care of ourselves. You may never look good in skinny jeans. AND THIS IS OKAY.
Do you know that Bible does NOT command thinness? Why then do so many Christian women — and girls! — desire a Victoria’s Secret model’s airbrushed body? (BTW: The photo above is from SkinnyJeans, “the jeans that make you look thinner!” How apropos.)
So why do so many women lust after skinny. Is it vanity? Insecurity? Something else?
Is dropping 15 pounds and toning up a bad idea? No, not as long as your motivation is taking care of the body God gave you for his glory.
But if you’re dieting without God’s glory in mind, stop it. Ask God what HE wants you to do.
“Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31).
Tragically, dieting sometimes turns ugly and stomps into a food addiction.
Shelly’s Story
Shelly (not her real name; some details changed) desired a respectable goal: become healthier. But she went overboard. Way overboard. She began a downward spiral leading to a many-year battle with a food disorder that eventually led her back to God.
When Shelly was little, she felt conscious shopping for plus-sized (aka: “chubby”) clothes. She longed to buy the clothes on the skinny racks. She desperately wanted to look in a three-way mirror and feel good about herself. Mean girls called her Blubber of Judy Blume fame, girls who forced her to repeat: “I am Blubber. I always will be Blubber.” 🙁
Here is what one person shared: “I was, unfortunately, one of the ‘fat kids and, believe me, I received more than a bit of ridicule. I was punished (by classmates) for looking the wrong way, breathing the wrong way and for generally just being there. Kids can be cruel and the scars they leave behind deep. I would like to say, though, that for the kids who today feel like a ‘Linda’ (the main character in Blubber), you have my sympathy but believe me, things can get better.”
Shelly struggles with dieting morphed into bingeing and purging. Eventually she all but stopped eating and ended up in the hospital where God got her attention as she laid flat on her back, looking up.
The Way Out
Shelly and others who struggle with dieting and body image problems need God’s help to win the battle with food.
Here are the three main steps for success. (I fully recognize they give a mere outline of what to do. If you want support from a Christian biblical/pastoral counselor, please contact me or a counselor at your church. If you’re facing an emergency, dial 911.) Please continue reading this post at BasicsMatter.com, where I post on Mondays. Click here, go there in a nano second.
You Are Blessed,
A log error made the original comments go poof. I have copy/pasted them below. 🙂
Becca October 5, 2011 at 1:29 pm #
As much as I agree with the Bible not commanding thinness, would you not also agree that being overweight, or obese, is an indicator of the sin of gluttony?
Lucy October 5, 2011 at 1:46 pm #
Becca, I agree that obesity may indicated the sin of gluttony, or anything to excess. Of course, medical condition must be taken into account. Someone may be quite a bit overweight because they have, say, hypothyroidism.
What matters most is the person’s heart. Is she overeating or undereating because she had made food an idol? This is a tough question. In any case, what a person needs most is the truth that God loves her. Additionally, believers in Jesus also are forgiven and heaven-bound.
There is so much more to say. Another topic for the future. 🙂
i happen to think girls look fine in skinny jeans