A weighty issue

I've never been one of those girls that was destined to be tiny. It's a struggle for me to lose the 10 pounds I've wanted to lose for, well, too long. I've always had issues with my size. I know, I know...most people probably wouldn't understand why. I mean, I know I'm not overweight, but since I'm not tiny either, I tend to put a magnifying glass to all the areas I'd like to shrink. My arms need to be smaller, my waist is too short, and my love handles need to be loved less. More than anything though, I know that if I focused less on these areas and more on the areas I'm happy with, it wouldn't be as big of an issue. Can you girls out there relate to that? Or is it just me?


They say the average woman is a size 12. So, why do the majority of fashion magazines picture a size 2 as the ideal? I wonder if we saw more pictures of "average" women we would have less issues with body image? Less issues with anorexia and bulimia. Society's standard of beauty can be physically & emotionally deadly to young women. Yet it's so easy to buy into...even if we don't realize we are. I'm guilty of it.

Now, I'm not saying that being a size 2 is wrong. Some women are born to be that way! There are a lot of women that are size 2's that are beautiful. But, there's so many women I know who aren't size 2's that are equally as beautiful. My point is that beauty shouldn't be measured by the size jeans we put on. Should it? We're all made so differently...for a purpose. Some of us are going to have to live with that butt & those hips, and some wish they had them! For me, I want to be able to embrace the shape that God gave me. That doesn't mean that I don't want to eat healthy, workout, and be the best version of me that I can possibly be. But, I do want to keep it in the right perspective. The whole "I am fearfully and wonderfully made" stuff that God talks about...yeah, that perspective. Hard to do, I know. But, I think it's possible.

If you struggle with this, as I know probably every woman on planet earth has, just know that you can gain freedom in this area. Every woman's journey is different. I'm still on the journey; I will be for a while I'm sure. I can tell you that when I choose to look at my "good" features, it makes a huge difference in my self-confidence. I know a woman is hardest on herself, but we ALL have features we like. So, look in the mirror & name them! Yep, name them one by one. I promise, it'll make a difference. And, know that whether you're a size 2 or 12, or something else entirely, you're beautiful to someone...and you're beautiful especially to the One who created you. The One whose opinion matters most.