I hate my body. Most women do. Why is that? Have you ever stopped to think about why we are so hard on ourselves when it comes to our appearance?
David writes in Psalm 139 “I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made”
Let’s begin with why I hate my body and then move onto how to shift our focus onto gratitude.
What do I do if I Hate my Body?
If I were to talk to a group of women, each one would say something different. My hair is too straight or curly or gray. I’m too heavy or short or tall. My skin is pale, scarred, or freckled.
You get the idea.
This is a direct result of comparing ourselves to others. We are not pleased with our bodies because we feel someone else’s is better. I would like to guilt society and Hollywood for this but let’s be fair, we are to blame.
Nothing steals your gratitude faster than comparing yourself to someone else! I’m tired of hating my body, aren’t you?
Embracing is my favorite word this year. What if we embraced all of our negative and accepted who we are in Christ. Would our physical bodies matter so much?
Study what the Bible says about gratitude while journaling your own thoughts with this 20 day gratitude journal. Click the image below to check it out!
You are Beautiful for You are Fearfully and Wonderfully Made
What does the Bible say about my “I hate my body” attitude?
If I were to be blunt about it, hating your body is basically telling God that He screwed up.
Let’s look at more of Psalm 139 (all of these verses are from NKJV).
My frame was not hidden from You,
When I was made in secret,
And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. (verse 15)
Did you catch that? You were skillfully made. Skillfully. No mistakes here!
Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.
And in Your book they all were written,
The days fashioned for me,
When as yet there were none of them (verse 16)
Not only did God skillfully create you, but He looked ahead and saw your life. He knew exactly who you were from the moment you were conceived. Isn’t that beautiful??
His interest in you began long before you had hair or cellulite or wrinkles. His interest began with the creation of your soul.
More Important than Why I Hate My Body is God’s Thoughts Toward Us
Continuing on with Psalm 139.
How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!
How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand;
When I awake, I am still with You. (verses 17-18)
God’s thoughts toward us are precious. He is looking at His creation with pride and love. Don’t dislike what He has created!
We are Created in the Image of God
Let’s keep in mind that we are more than flesh and blood. When God created Adam and Eve, He created them in His image, meaning we are a living soul.
This living soul should be our focus. Our physical body is merely a shell.
“But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, 10 and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, 11 where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all.” (Colossians 3:8-11)
Paul is reminding the Colossians that they are Children of God and their actions should prove it. He also reminds them that no matter how their physical bodies were born, as Jews or Gentiles, slaves or free, that they were created in the image of God.
Don’t you think we can apply this to our own complaints about hating our bodies? Shifting our focus to our souls and the spiritual beings we were created as seems to make the emphasis we put on hating our bodies sound silly, doesn’t it?
“Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day” (2 Corinthians 4:16)
God is Always With Us
Gratitude comes when we take our eyes off the petty thoughts and focus on a bigger picture. We serve a God who is always with us! More of Psalm 139!
Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Or where can I flee from Your presence?
If I ascend into heaven, You are there;
If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.
If I take the wings of the morning,
And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
Even there Your hand shall lead me,
And Your right hand shall hold me. (verses 7-10)
We are Temples of the Holy Spirit
Does this mean we let ourselves go? Of course not. God gave us this body and we still need to take care of it.
“Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)
Technically, Paul is writing about sexual sins here, but I think it applies to how we treat our bodies in general. You don’t need to be told that healthy food choices and exercise are important to your physical health.
Embracing a Life of Gratitude When I Hate My Body
Maybe embracing a life of gratitude when I hate my body is more about accepting that you were created by an all-powerful loving God who makes no mistakes.
Gratitude comes when we shift our focus to what is most important. In this case, it is embracing a God who loves us, is interested in us, and wishes us to be conformed to the image of His son!
As a mom, I’m always looking for ways to help my children see the blessings they have in their life. Click image below to check out this cute gratitude journal for kids!
You might also like these gratitude posts!
3 Bible Stories about Gratitude to Encourage a Grateful Heart
Embracing a Life of Gratitude: What does the Bible Say about Thanksgiving?
About the author
I had a child a year ago and my body has changed so much since. I almost dont recognise myself sometimes and I’m having a real hard time accepting all the changes. It has affected my confidence and marriage. This post is encouraging. Thank you
Yes, babies have a way of doing that! I am so glad you found this encouraging!
God didn’t mess up, and acting like I hate my body sends all kinds of messages I don’t mean! The next time I get to feeling like I’m not thin enough or strong enough or whatever, I will remember this post!!
No, my friend, God definitely didn’t mess up when he created you! Thanks for stopping by 🙂
Such a powerful and inspiring article! Thank you for this beautiful article!
Yes! Such a good and relevant topic. We are all so hard on ourselves. And, I agree, saying we hate our bodies is like telling God he screwed up in making us. God doesn’t make mistakes. And I also agree that we shouldn’t become complacent in our eating well and exercising either!
Isn’t it crazy how things like self-image can steal your gratitude? Thankfully, God keeps pulling us back on track!
This is so incredibly powerful! I have had such a hard time loving my body after having children. I appreciate what my body was able to do, but I think the idea of gratitude is something that’s been largely missing from my thinking. Thanks for this reminder.
Ya, babies sure change things, don’t they? There are a lot of women out there telling us to love our bodies,but I don’t think they are telling us to love them because God created them. That is the missing piece!
A great reminder that are wonderfully and fearfully made in the image of God. As women, we are so hard on ourselves, as we need to see ourselves as God sees us. Great post!
Exactly, Angie! It’s easier said than done though, isn’t it?
So true! Thank you for this reminder to embrace what we see as negative because we were handcrafted by God.