How to Defeat Female Body Image Issues for Women of Faith

Defeating female body image issues meant getting real about the root of those issues.

First, separate the facts about female body image issues from the lies.

Lie #1 – My life will be better when I fix my body.

• I would be happier if I were thin.
• People would like me better if I was skinnier.
• Having a better body will improve my marriage.
• I’ll have more self-esteem if I look thin and toned.
• If my body looked better, I wouldn’t have any issues, right?

I was so wrong.

Nothing I did to improve my appearance solved any other problems I had in my life.

I still had to learn how to be a patient and loving mother. My marriage still requires daily effort and spiritual discipline.

Joy didn’t come from the numbers on the scale or the size of my pants. I only found real, permanent joy from growing in my walk with Christ, even when I lost weight.

Furthermore, when my self-confidence was hog-tied to my body image, I never felt confident because there was always something new to fix.

Lie #2 You can reach perfect if you just try hard enough.

Of course, when I did lose weight, I noticed the stretch marks from the extra weight or the wrinkles in my face became more prominent.

Every step toward my ideal body brought up new body image issues to worry about: varicose veins, chin hair, visible scars.

I was never going to get to this plateau of perfection.

But that didn’t stop me from believing I was supposed to.

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Striving for perfection is body idolatry.

The push for perfection made my ideas about my body image an idol.

I did things like walk for two hours everyday, skip meals, and start marathon running despite major joint pain because I felt compelled to reach this place of good enough physical perfection.

I’m ashamed of how body image has affected my life. I’ve cancelled plans or been too embarrassed to go places because I don’t have clothes to cover my problem areas. Because of my appearance, I’ve felt like a failure as a person.

My issues even spilled over into my nutrition. I skipped too many meals and didn’t eat nutritious food in proper proportions. I tried every diet and exercise plan, but none could change how I felt inside my own heart.

My body image issues were so ingrained I couldn’t separate my worth as a person from my imperfections. I didn’t realize that I had bought so many cultural lies about my worth from the worldly culture.

My body image issues were so natural to me that I didn't realize how deeply they ran. I couldn't separate my worth from my imperfections. But God could. Click To Tweet

Cutting God out of the equation was treating this as a physical problem, when it’s a spiritual one.

I didn’t even realize I was working on the wrong AREA of my life!

I was spinning my wheels, racing against the clock, to achieve something that has no eternal value.

We are spirits housed in temporary bodies that start to decay from the moment we are born.

Plus, we don’t even start in perfect bodies. (I certainly didn’t!) And living well means we are USING our bodies. We get sunburns and scars and stretch marks because we are LIVING.

We should take care of them, but building our confidence, worth, or identity on our bodies is like building a house on shifting sand.

Matthew 7:24-27 ESV “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”

Building my confidence on anything other than the rock of Christ was a recipe for disaster.

I cried so many tears wishing I could just be normal.

Lie #3 Normal women don’t have body image issues

The joke was on me! I am normal – like the 91% of women who also struggle with body image issues. (Can we be real – who are the other 9%??)

1 Corinthians 10:13 ESV No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

Feeling dissatisfied with our bodies is normal. But God can help us defeat our temptations to allow sins, like pride and vanity, overcome us.

Reading Compared to Who? helped me see the spiritual aspect to my body image issues.

I’d been on a journey to let go of my body image issues for the last few years, but Heather Creekmore’s Compared to Who?  helped free me in a way I didn’t expect.

At first, I didn’t want to read Compared to Who?  I was so sure this was just another DIET book, full of the same old platitudes:

• God only cares about your heart.
• It’s the inside that matters.
• Outward Beauty is only skin deep.
• Real beauty comes from being Christ-like.

UGH! While those are true statements, they only help so much unless you deal with the real issue.

Because deep down, while I know God loves me and values me for the inside, I want other people to think I’m wonderful, too. There’s the real issue-Pride. 

Despite my resistance, God was working on my body image issues and wasn’t going to leave me alone. I kept seeing this book everywhere.

Clearly, God wanted me to read Compared to Who?.

** Compared to Who? Kindle Version is FREE this weekend May 9-12, 2020!!! **

When my copy arrived, I was hesitant but after a few pages, Heather’s humor and compassionate honesty captured my attention. I was hooked!

She confessed all thoughts I’ve secretly thought: every silent smug vanity, the catty comparisons, my shame when I didn’t match up, believing I just needed to have enough self-esteem to accept myself the way I am. So much of her story related to mine!

And I knew she understood. So when she asked me to rethink everything I’ve ever thought about vanity and body image, I was willing.

Compared to Who? reveals the heart of our body image issues and lets us quit comparing. #BestBooks #ChristianWoman Click To Tweet

What’s more, Compared to Who? showed me how I’ve been missing the heart aspect of my body image issues.

I would recommend this book to anyone struggling with body image issues or vanity. Even though it mostly pertains to women, Heather speaks to the heart of the matter, our sinful nature.

Defeating female body image issues didn’t involve a diet plan, but understanding God’s plan.

I needed to spend time in God’s word, learning who He is and my purpose in this world.

God created me to be uniquely me. I am the only person with my talents, interests, abilities, flaws, and appearance who can fulfill the roles God has created for me to fill in this world.

The people I can reach and love because of who I am is part of God’s plan and purpose for me.

God knew which people my personality would attract, which people would love my heart and see my passion for Him, and which would need my friendship and unique perspective.

He knew which child would need me to mother her because of my unique skills, experiences, and flaws.

Because I struggle with anxiety, I have learned a lot about walking in faith through those things. And I can walk through them with her and with the other women who are in my life.

Bible Verses about Body Image and beauty –

Some of the verses that helped me recognize the sins of pride and vanity that were holding me back from serving God fully.

Ezekiel 28:17 ESV  Your heart was proud because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor. I cast you to the ground; I exposed you before kings, to feast their eyes on you.

And verses that helped me embrace the imperfect creature I am, serving a perfect God in His perfect plan.

When I was able to embrace the beauty God created in me for His purposes, I finally defeated my female body image issues.

I felt free to look how I look and not care what people think because anyone seeking the gospel message and the freedom I’ve found in Christ will see the radiance of Christ in me.

Anyone who cares about how I look or dress, might need to see a woman who is joyful no matter her size because of Christ. In fact, the more judgmental a person is, the more she is likely to be struggling with the same lies I was.

Additionally, I was able to stop comparing myself to others and enjoy their unique gifts and talents instead of fighting my own jealousy.

Letting go of comparisons allowed me to love others more deeply without secretly wishing for their looks, gifts, lives.

By living in freedom, I can encourage more women of faith to defeat their female body image issues and find true peace in Christ, which is a much greater reward than a perfect body ever would be.