Battling a bad body image?

I recently finished reading Margot Starbuck's "Unsqueezed - Springing free from skinny jeans, nose jobs, highlights, and stilettos." Starbuck addresses from a Christian perspective, a dilemma many of us face on a daily basis, What do I do when I don't feel good in my own skin?

Those pesky thoughts pop into your head, "If only I could change my hair, get rid of those unfortunate wrinkles around my eyes, and deal with some of that cellulite on my thighs, maybe then I would finally feel good." As Starbuck points out, these insecurities are only intensified by a culture that seems to have "effectively marketed the myth that women's bodies exist for no higher purpose than to be viewed."

With wit and humor, Starbuck addresses the issues that often lead us to feeling less than, and discusses practical ways to embrace who you are. There can be real freedom if we accept our bodies and use them for the purposes for which they were created. After all, "God seems to be dealing in an entirely different currency than we've been working with, when it comes to the value and purpose of our bodies."

The really wonderful thing is that when I am freed up from the obsessions about my body, I can really use my body to reach my goals and to care for others. When I stop worrying about how my thighs look in a bathing suit, I can start using those thighs to help my elderly neighbor walk her groceries into her home, or carry laundry to my daughters room, or to walk up the stairs to get to work to counsel others who are struggling with their own body image. The coolest part is that I already have everything I need to do those things.

So today, instead of lamenting what my body is not, I am going to be thankful for what I have been given and try to enjoy using my body for the purpose for which it was meant - to live and love!

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