A Self-Image Attached to GodExemplo

Shame-Free, Original Design

To reclaim the original design of the human body, we must ask God for His plan in our being and doing. When looking at our blueprint, the Bible, we start with Adam and Eve, since they were the first humans God created to be in relationship with Him. Most remember Eve by what she did wrong, but have you ever stopped to imagine her life before the fall? I love daydreaming about what life must have been like for these lovebirds.

The Bible describes a garden full of trees that were pleasant to look at and good sources of food. As Adam and Eve strolled through this garden, there was no disconnect between their bodies, souls, minds, and spirits because they were in perfect union with God.

Adam and Eve walked, talked, and shared life with each other and God while they were completely naked—and they felt no shame. I have a tough time walking naked from the shower to my closet without feeling shame! But to walk in a garden with another person without the urge to cover up is mind-blowing.

But this naked freedom was short-lived for the happy couple, as we see in Genesis 3:7–9, when the first crack in the foundation of man’s union with God opened up. Within moments, Adam and Eve realized they were naked, covered their bodies in shame, and hid from God. Their new realization came from knowledge that God never intended for them to have. Aware that their naked glory was over, they covered themselves with a false sense of security. Then they hid from the Lord.

My friend, many of us are making the same shame-filled decisions over our bodies today. We have a hyperawareness of our bodies that was never God’s original design. We hide behind false coverings of pride, shame, lust, and excessive pursuit of our skewed body image goals. But perhaps the most heartbreaking of all actions is our hiding from God.

The good news is, even though Adam and Eve hid from God, He immediately came looking for them. In His infinite mercy and grace, He continues to come looking for us when we try to hide.

It’s time for a ceasefire in the war against our bodies. Write a love letter to your body and an apology for how you’ve treated or spoken to her.