If you're tired of hating your body, we have good news for you. You can be at home in your body again and connect more deeply to the God who made you.
What is Body Insecurity or Body Shame?
– Have you ever cringed after seeing yourself in a photo?
– Have you ever stayed at home rather than wear a bathing suit to go to the pool with friends and family?
– Have you ever looked at a stranger and judged their appearance?
– Have you ever thought, “I’m definitely prettier than her” while walking into a room?
Do any of these scenarios seem familiar?
These experiences can come in many forms and be classified as body insecurity, body hate, or body shame.
Body insecurity is defined as having negative thoughts or comments about your body or another’s body that can lead to mental health issues like: low self-esteem, feelings of self-hate, anxiety, social anxiety, depression, disordered eating, and disordered health practices.
For some, it’s a goliath. An obstacle that affects every part of life and relationship with others. For others, it’s like an annoying fly that won’t go away. We are all prone to body hate in some degree.
So, where does it come from?
While on the surface, your struggle with body shame is a physical one. The problem of body hate or body shame has spiritual origins.
The Spiritual Origins of Body Insecurity
This may take you by surprise, but as believers, we believe “our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 6:12, NIV).
While on the surface, your struggle with body shame is a physical one. The problem of body hate or body shame has spiritual origins.
Let’s begin at the beginning.
Who created this thing that you hate?
God.
The first story of the first book of the Bible begins “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth…And God saw that it was good.” (Genesis 1:1, 10). These opening passages teach us that God created all things and called everything He made good.
Friend, that includes YOU and YOUR BODY!
But, God didn’t just create the universe and His image-bearers to be left to their own devices. The rest of the Bible shows us how God created everything and chose to dwell with His people. Out of love for His creation and humanity, God took on flesh, died, and was buried to save us from our sins and reconcile us to Him.
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16, ESV)
But, Jesus’ life in the flesh didn’t end in death. Three days later, Jesus rose from death to rule at the right hand of God and so all who believe “might walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4, ESV) now and in the Kingdom to come.
“But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.” (Philippians 3:20-21, ESV)
Jesus knows your body, knows what it’s like to be a body, and he loves your body.
So, what’s the problem?
Sin.
Jesus took on flesh to reconcile us to God. If we have to be reconciled, we must first be separated.
As we briefly discussed, Genesis 1 and 2 are all about God’s creation of the world and humanity. There is so much promise and potential for this new creation! God is present. There is good work for Adam and Eve in the garden. What could go wrong?
In Genesis 3, another character enters the scene. In Genesis, he’s described as a serpent (Genesis 3:1). But, as the story of the Bible goes on, we learn that the crafty serpent is indeed the Satan (see Revelation 12:9). The Adversary. The Opposer. The Enemy.
This Enemy, cast out of God’s presence in the spiritual realm, went into the Garden of Eden to deceive Adam and Eve with lies that were pleasing to the eye and desirable to the mind (Genesis 3:6).
Adam and Eve took the bait. They ate the forbidden fruit. “Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves…and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. ” (Genesis 3:7-8b, NIV).
Sin caused a split. A separation. A chasm.
Adam and Eve’s decision to trust the serpent’s lies over God’s Word brought death into a world that was meant for life. It brought separation and exile into a world meant for deeply satisfying communion with God.
Sin separates you from God, others, and yourself.
Sin separates you from your own body.
Any program, course, or training that does not address the deep spiritual origins of your body shame is merely treating the symptoms. Now that you know the cause of your insecurity, unease, hate, and shame, let’s talk about what you can do.
5 Tips to Love Your Body Again
Awareness
“Be sober-minded, be alert. Your adversary the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour.” 1 Peter 5:8, CSB
Awareness. Be aware of your thoughts, your attention, your disappointments, and your joys. Be aware of where your eyes are looking. Be aware when you split.
The truth is, even when you’re prayerfully trying to live embodied without obsessing or neglecting, you are going to split. In a broken world, you are going to be tempted and even sin. But, if you are alert to the schemes of the enemy in terms of your body (and your whole life), you won’t be split for long.
You may split for a moment, then you’ll return to Jesus as a whole woman or man running the race of faith.
Anger
“And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” Genesis 3:15, NIV
Enmity. After the Fall, God curses the serpent saying He will put enmity between God’s children and the serpent.
Enmity is extreme hatred. It means to be actively opposed. Enmity is the opposite of God’s agape love.
As you become more AWARE of the lies of the enemy and temptations toward body hate, it might be time to get angry. Not at individuals. Not even directly at the app offering you that “miracle” product.
First, you get mad at the enemy. There is enmity between you and the Enemy. When you know Jesus, you know that he has already been defeated. His power no longer has a hold on you.
“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Ephesians 6:12, NIV).
Affection of Christ
“Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28, CSB)
Don’t end your journey to wholehearted embodied living with awareness and anger. If you end there, you may make waves in the industries and corporations that feed off of vulnerability and body shame, but you probably won’t do it with the heart of Jesus.
Your struggle against the enemy, the spiritual forces of evil, is not done in your own power. You rest in the power and righteousness of Christ.
He gives you the strength, wisdom, and humility to go on the path of wholehearted living when the world around you bows to the idols of beauty and health.
So, friend, REST. Rest in the love and affection of Christ. Revive your soul in His Word (Psalm 19:7). Remember that He has already won the ultimate battle.
Agency
“For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.” (Galatians 5:1, ESV)
You have agency.
Every day you are faced with many choices to live according to the freedom you have in Christ or to follow the lies of the enemy.
In those moments, we urge you to call on what is true, good, and beautiful. Remembering the the way, the truth, and the life will help you from falling headfirst into the pleasing, but deceptive images and ideas that surround you.
Ambassadorship
“Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.” (2 Corinthians 5:20, ESV)
You, believer, are an ambassador of Christ! Whether you’re at the gym, the grocery store, the beach, or taking care of your children at home, you have the opportunity to be salt and light.
Your Turn
If you are tired of living a life of body hate and body shame, then we invite you to take the next step into one (or both) of these spaces:
Become a Revelation Wellness Fitness Instructor or Health Coach
Become a RW+ Member
Alisa Keeton is the founder and CEO of Revelation Wellness and the author of The Body Revelation. A 25+ year fitness professional, she believes that the Gospel is a wholistic message of heart, mind, soul, and strength, and each body holds a story that must be told. It is then that healing, health, and wholeness can truly begin.
