Soul Kitchen

My husband's work has taken him away for a little while so we snuck a weekend together with just the two of us. After being apart for a while I struggled with my insecurites of body image. I saw the rolls, the cellulite, the extra weight on my thighs, tummy, etc. From the first time I knew I was going away with him, immediately I became obsessed with thoughts that I needed to hit the gym, lose some weight, exercise as much as possible to shed a few pounds so that he would be happy with me. I am in a season of my life where I cannot emotionally go to the gym every day or at all but my insecurities took presidence. I had a quiet moment where God hit me over the head with his truth: He made me in His image and is happy with me.

Does my husband expect perfection? My husband married me and loves me for who I am and that doesn't change. God made me and it doesn't matter what I look like because he made me in His image. God brought the perfect husband FOR ME, to love me and accept me for who I am, through all the roads we travel together in all the stages of life. I am human and my flesh sees the imperfections. After children I have extra weight everywhere and hate how I look without clothing on. I feel more comfortable hiding myself under layers so that others can only see the outward appearance and not see the rolls or cellulite.

I thoroughly enjoyed my weekend with my husband. We attended a church together over that weekend and the pastor said something that really struck a cord with me in regards to my insecurities.... he asked the congregation: "What was your God moment this week?"

Wow!

My God moment was realizing that no matter how I compare myself to the world's standards of what beautiful is or what the perfect body is according to what we see on television, that GOD LOVES ME!

Genesis 1:27 says, "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; make and female he created them." (NIV)

But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." ~ I Samuel 16:7 (NIV)

Satan had me right where he wanted me. He wanted me to be unhappy with myself and judge myself against fleshly standards. God doesn't want me to do that and I am so thankful that his truth is more powerful than what Satan wants us to hear and echo in our heads. It's easy to conform to the world and look at the outward appearances..... isn't that just awesome that God looks at our heart?

He loves ME! He made ME!

How do you see yourself? Do you feel loved and accepted?
What was your God moment this week?