A Self-Image Attached to GodSample

A Firm Foundation

“Rachael,” the fitness instructor said, “you’re one of the best instructors I’ve seen. But if you want to teach for our company, I need you to lose that mama pouch. Your son is almost three; what’s your excuse for still having fat on your stomach?”

I went home from the training and cried. I knew the instructor was simply sharing what he knew to be true.

But it wasn’t my truth.

After that training, I told the Lord I could no longer teach group fitness. I was tired of all the striving and hustling. No matter how hard I tried, I never seemed to fit in with the fitness world.

A few weeks later, I attended a conference and met an instructor at a booth for a faith-based fitness program. She said, “Rachael, God loves you right where you are. Just show up.”

This woman stood on a firm foundation, not dependent on what the world told her. That day is marked on my body image timeline as a defining moment when God helped me find freedom from fear and shame. I want that same freedom for you.

I’ve sat with many women in my counseling office as they cried over their body struggles just as I have—struggles borne from having our culture’s perspective rather than God’s perspective. When our body image is built on faulty foundational beliefs, we’ll lack the spiritual stability we need to weather life’s storms. The Bible makes it clear that we should build only on the solid foundation of Christ:

• Mark 12:10 reminds us that Jesus was the stone that the builders rejected and that He is now our cornerstone.
• Ephesians 2:20–21 says that together we are His house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets.
• Matthew 7:24-27 claims that anyone who hears God’s words and puts them into action is like a wise man who built his house on a rock.
• 2 Timothy 2:19 promises that God’s foundation of truth stands firm.

As you begin this body image journey, you are building a solid foundation not only for you to stand on but for future generations to build on.

Pray: Jesus, I invite You on this journey to restore my body image. I can’t do this without You. You are the only rock I want to stand on. I release control to You. Amen.