Do It…For Yourself?

Tonight I opened up Pinterest.

I love Pinterest (as a side note, it is the ULTIMATE time sucker for me. Is it that way for you?).

The first post that I saw had the following text:

Do it for:
-the stares
-the whispers
-the bikini
-the hipbone
-the gap between your thighs
-the belly shirts
-the melted sweaters
-the light-as-a-feather feeling
-the cute pictures
-the sexy lingerie-and most importantly…YOURSELF

I looked at this and stopped to wonder if it was a joke. I clicked to track it back to its original source and discovered it was in fact, not a joke.

I read it again, trying to see if there was more to it that I had missed or had somehow misunderstood.

Nope.

That was it.

The entire premise: that we should lose weight so that we can be stared at, so our hipbones can stick out, so we can pose in immodest clothing and take “cute” pictures…and that we should do it for OUR OWN SELF.

If you’ve followed this blog (and facebook page) for any time at all, you know that this is the EXACT opposite of what I believe our motivation should be as believers.

We pursue a healthy lifestyle to bring honor and glory not to ourselves, but to HIM.

We strengthen our bodies not so that we can have people gawk at them in bikinis or tight clothing, but so that we are ready and able to accomplish any single task that comes our way.

We spend time preparing and eating foods that nourish our bodies not so that we can shrink the size of our thighs, but so that we can have the energy we need to serve those around us.

And friends, this is not about us. I’m sorry, it’s not.

Every single time that I tried to lose weight or to get healthy for MYSELF, I failed. Every time I made it about the way I looked in the mirror, I reverted back to old habits eventually. Each time that I have tried to improve my physical appearance without first tackling the condition of my heart, it has been a disaster.

So hear me on this… this journey towards getting healthy is worthwhile only if it’s grounded in the right motivation. It’s worthy of our time and attention only if it’s from an overflow of our love for God and wanting to bring HIM glory. There may be some physical benefits on your journey that include a smaller clothing size or looking better on the outside, that is true.

But friends, no set of six-pack abs, bikini, hip bones, or thigh gap can disguise a heart that’s far from God. 

Please be careful what your focus and motivation is on this journey. Carefully consider your goals and why they matter.

Spend time in prayer asking God what He wants and how you can honor Him in your own individual journey.

 Refuse to be persuaded by the world’s distorted perception of why fitness matters and how you need to look a certain way to be loved.

You ARE loved. You were created for GOOD things by a God who knew you before you were born and had every single moment of your life recorded before you ever took your first breath. You are valuable, you are lovely, you are strong, and you are capable, regardless of what the mirror, the scale, or a Pinterest post may tell you.

Press on friends in HIS name for HIS glory.