I have to be honest I got this idea from another blog and really related to it.
How many times a day are we bombarded with these kinds of images (which do not come from a bottle but a lot of hours in the gym with a personal trainer)? I am sure someone has the answer to that question and I don't really care. I am sick of seeing this stuff all the time.
I know that even women in the 'skinny' category see these adds and question their self image so I can imagine that women in my category (25+ pounds to lose) really like these adds. Short of becoming a hermit there is no escape. Even my kids cartoons are full of these kinds of images.
Do I care that the modeling agency would boot me out on my sizable fanny in a matter of seconds? Not really. I do care that I am currently not happy in my own skin and with that I want to find what works for me. I know it's not in a bottle or a shake (tried them to no avail). So now the journey is to discover the me inside this imperfect body that God loves and then go from there.
A friend once gave me the quote, "strive to please an audience of one," and I have never forgotten it. Does that mean I should stay the way I am? Of course not. But I do need to love me the way I am so I am able to improve where improvement is necessary. Let that "audience of one" be my standard instead of all the rest.
What is your inaccurate standard in your life? What rule or gauge are you using to set your goals? Maybe we don't even realize it but it is worth looking at and maybe making some adjustments. Besides who would get anything done if they looked like this?!
"No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving. He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing. " Ephesians 2:10 (the message)
9 comments:
Great post Kim. Oh, how I would love to have that body but know it's just never going to happen. At the age of 35 reality has hit home. Thank God he loves me anyways.
It took me turning 39 last month to finally be satisfied with my weight. I still have 15 pounds to go before hitting my pre-pregnancy weight (and I do want to lose it), but I refuse to pay attention to media images.
Great post. That quote your friend gave you is wonderful.
After years of putting myself down and verbally repeating how much I hate the way I look it has affected my child. I sit hear and cry as I read your post. I have not abused my body, yet I tell my creator daily what a bad job He did in making me the way I am. How can I expect my child to love herself. The world has deceived us into believing that who we are is never good enough. How sad... You are right again, Kim, our eyes need to focus on the Lord and not so much on just what's on the outside.
Thanks for being so wise.
I am in the same boat as you! I look at our family and how skinny they all are and then I look in the mirror. Depressing. I have tried all the diets and they work for awhile but I have found that I just need to get my big butt out of bed in the mornings and go walking. I found that gives me more energy throughout the day until about 9:00 and then I am ready for bed! Hang in there!
I look at pictures from years ago and think about how fat I felt then and realize that I actually looked pretty good...and I missed it all feeling fat. And I didn't have the wrinkles, stretch marks, and thinning hair then as I do now. I'm tired of wishing for more. My inaccurate standard is the jeans that fit before the three kids that I think should still fit. I'm done. They are going away!
I think you look great Kim. And I wouldn't tell a lie! Love you.
You're all missing the boat! The real bummer here is that with Kim0's new but not improved body, her breast-a-purse will no longer fit. Goodness, she'll have to give the thing to me! crackin' myself up over here!! care
leave it to caren to find the humor in having a less than perfect body. so glad i check this blog out...there's always something to make me smile!
it saddens me so much that we as women waste away our youth and beauty looking for more. (i do it as well). we are so worried about looking a certain way when this is the way our creator made us. certainly healthy habits and extra touches can enhance our beauty but we are daughters of God and i wish it wasn't so hard sometimes to see ourselves as He sees us...
thanks for sharing, verbally, the struggle that is universal for us all.
I really appreciate the Dove ads with the "real" women in them. I hope this becomes more of a craze than the fake boobs, anorexic type. I would much rather look at someone I can relate to (and millions of other women around the world can to).
except they are naked!!! I can't even let my kids open a magazine anymore!
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