For the love of God, UNSUBSCRIBE!

Public service announcement:

The number one killer in the world today isn’t tobacco products or drug abuse or obesity. It’s not suicide or heart attacks. And if you’re thinking, it’s gotta be car accidents or car crashes caused by texting and driving or drinking and driving, you’d be wrong on all accounts. The number one killer in the world today, the root cause of most social issues we face in society today, is actually the world’s broken concept of beauty and it’s sliding scale of value and worth.

You’re probably thinking, “Okay, dramatic much. That doesn’t sound so bad.” But it is, so so bad. As I’m typing this, I’m transported all the way back to my childhood and that beautiful ornate box the world tried to stuff my curvy little frame into. You know the one. The pretty little box that has perfection written all over it in black sharpie and also says things like “No fat people allowed” “Must be a size 6 or smaller to enter” “white people only”—Oh sorry! Was that too truthful for you, okay. I’ll step it back. “Must have a one inch thigh gap” (I always thought having a thigh gap meant you were bowlegged but apparently, it’s just a “being thin” thing). I’m sure you know that box. A lot of people have lost a lot of limbs and vital organs trying to fit into that box, some people have died. (Getting too real again? Got it.) The box should say “Impossible man-made standard built by the opinions and preferences of a select few, NOT fact” but unfortunately, the sign on the front just says “Beautiful”. It’s no wonder people have such a hard time understanding what real beauty is and loving themselves the way God made them.

I gotta say, it’s a little bizarre to me that we don’t seem to understand how truly sinister and dark this whole thing is. We’ve accepted something as normal that is literally killing us and keeping us bound to insecurity and self-hatred and other broken destructive patterns. I mean if I told you that there could be a world in which your insecurity didn’t exist and you loved yourself and the world encouraged that love and respect and value, you’d probably think I was talking about some sort of utopia or heaven or something. We have become so desensitized to the serpent in our midst we just think he’s apart of the wallpaper that’s always been there. We have actually bought into the idea that insecurity is built into our DNA, that it’s just a part of our humanity.

I hate to break it to you (Actually, I have no qualms about breaking it down for you) but that is absolutely false. Insecurity is not a construct of God, it is not built into your design or your DNA, it’s not something that is meant to be apart of you. The same way we look at sin and think “Hmm, that’s not right, that’s not acceptable, that’s not the way God intended for us to be, let’s be proactive about getting rid of this in our lives” we should be looking at insecurity in the same exact way. I might even go so far as to say that unfettered insecurity is a relative of sin, if not a sin itself because it’s a mindset and a belief that we allow to trump what God has said about us and devalue what God has given the utmost value through the death of Jesus on the cross. Also, the Christian faith comes with a pretty clear statement about our identity in Christ having been redeemed and made righteous, a statement we have no right to adjust or put limits on.

And if you need an even clearer picture, let me paint it for you: insecurity quite often gets in the way of our obedience to God because we tend to give ear to our insecurities more then we take heed of God’s voice and instruction. How many times have you felt like you needed to say something to someone or do something, maybe something as simple as lifting your hands during praise and worship, but you didn’t do it because you were concerned about how you would look or what people would think, and so on and so forth? Um, me. Literally all day every day. My insecurity has gotten in the way of my relationship with God more times then I dare to count and I’m afraid that I’ve missed out on a whole awful lot because of it, because I focused my attention on trying to achieve an imagined impossible standard instead of on God’s voice calling me (just as I am) to Him. I fed into a destructive and deceptive mindset, a boldfaced lie, instead of the truth of who I actually am because of God’s work in my life. God has still reached for me and touched my life in so many ways because He’s good like that but I KNOW that I’ve missed some incredible opportunities for growth along the way.

Some people might argue that I’m stretching my theology a bit here but I honestly think that we have become so used to insecurity and these man-made ideas and the brokenness that it perpetuates that we don’t realize the havoc it’s wreaking in our lives, in the lives of those we love, in our relationship with God. If you really start to analyze this you’ll come face-to-face with a monster, a demonic giant, you didn’t even know was there. Now before we dive deeper into what the Bible has to say on this subject matter, I want to first address this from a more natural (I’d guess you’d say) perspective.

As it pertains to body types and the different weight classes (skinny, overweight, obese, etc.) there’s really one primary source of information for the natural world, the medical field. Which seems pretty reliable right, except when you try to generalize medical expertise and here is where I take issue. Everyone is different, down to a cellular level, so making generalizations about someone’s health based on things like their height and weight is actually damaging and unproductive as much as it is, false. I’m not saying that all medical generalizations are inaccurate, I mean everyone should wash their hands, everyone should quit smoking because it’s damaging to everyone’s lungs. What I am saying though is one of the primary ways we assess the health of an individual is severely flawed and we, as the individuals, should know that. What I’m talking about here are things like the BMI (Body Mass Index) measurement system. Which is that little chart you find in medical offices all over the US that calculates your “health” in terms of your height and age and weight. Did you know that the person who created the BMI equation that is used to calculate your “health” wasn’t even a medical professional and had no expertise in the human body, he was actually a mathematician and an astronomer. Isn’t that interesting? A lot of medical facilities still use this chart today but it’s highly inaccurate and this is not just my opinion, there are countless articles and statements from medical professionals who agree (Google it). The chart doesn’t take into account the actual physical attributes of the patient like their muscle and bone density and genetics, which all play a huge part in the health and physicality of each individual. In other words, it's not really calculating your HEALTH because it can't. Unfortunately though, this chart and medical “expertise” like it, has made it’s way into the lifeblood of our culture in a very impactful and negative way. We (having no medical expertise whatsoever) started making generalizations based on the way people look on the outside and the way they carry their weight, we started making health assessments and creating standards that have no actual basis in fact or science. Just because somebody isn’t skinny, just because they’re “fat” “overweight” “plus-size” doesn’t mean they are automatically unhealthy or lazy or that they don’t work out and they need to start. Just because someone is naturally skinny doesn’t mean they’re anorexic or unhealthy or fragile. Health doesn’t have a universal number or weight class or body type (as difficult as that may be for most people to believe) and while weight can definitely be a contributing factor to a person's health issues, it’s usually not the only thing going on. It's also very possible that their weight has nothing to do with their health issues.

I have friends and family members who have experience, and I have personal experience, with doctors who were so quick to judge and diagnose their patients based on what they saw, based on their patients weight and body type instead of actually figuring out what was going on with their health. I had one doctor who walked into the exam room, didn’t even say “Hi” or “How are you”. The first thing he did was look me up and down and the first thing he said to me was “You’re a pretty girl but you need to lose weight” without even knowing my history, the fact that I have a genetic hormonal imbalance that has caused me to gain weight, without even looking at my chart or my paperwork. He made a judgement call based on how I looked and diagnosed me with a weight problem that a few trips to the gym and a few less trips to the fridge would fix. I left that appointment wondering when did we get here? When did the health of your patients start boiling down to this broken standard of beauty and value the world created? When did you stop caring about what was actually going on beneath the surface?

All of us are uniquely and wonderfully made and the truth is I will never look like you and you will never look like me no matter how hard we try. You will never look like Jennifer Lopez or Channing Tatum and neither will I because every single person alive is a one of a kind original and we weren’t created to be the same. We aren't assembly line products. God is an artist and He paints with different shapes and colors and I 100% believe that if we existed in perfection, in the Garden of Eden (without sin) today, we would still be different sizes and different shapes. There would be “fat” people and “skinny” people and “brown” people and “white” people because that's exactly how God made us. The structure of your being, the fabric of your soul are not constructs of a fallen world but very intentional artistry from a creative, thoughtful and loving God. There is nothing wrong with our differences and there is nothing wrong with being “overweight” or "stick thin" by the world’s standards if you are healthy and happy. Now, if you are unhealthy (“skinny” or “fat”) that’s an issue because it is our responsibility to take care of our bodies, these vessels in which our souls exist for the time being. But Who said that being curvy was a problem in need of resolution? Who said that if you don't fall within a certain size range you're automatically unhealthy? Because I’d like to know where they get their information from.

After doing some research I strongly believe that a lot of these “health standards” we subscribe to as a society are actually broken and prejudiced “beauty standards” masquerading as helpful and life-saving advice. I mean if you want to take it to the heart of the matter, to the real truth, let me ask you something: Where did the Bible say that having thighs that touch and cellulite was an abomination? Absolutely nowhere! Nowhere in scripture does God make an assessment of value and worth and beauty based on the physical attributes of His creation. Never once did God look at someone and say “you are not enough because you’re too skinny or too fat” “you have chicken legs” “You are not normal” “You are incapable of carrying out the calling I’ve placed on your life because you’re ugly” “You don’t qualify because of this physical feature or that number on the scale” “I’ll love you if…” or “I’ll love you when…”. Never. There are only two standards found in scripture that God holds us to as it pertains to our physical bodies and they are health and purity. There are no numbers, there’s no Body Mass Index Chart, there is no ideal body type. God’s ideal body type for us is simply a body that is healthy and pure. God doesn’t define beauty and value the way that we do, which should be a huge red flag to us. In fact, if you actually read scripture you’ll see that God used the very people the world tried to disqualify, the very people that didn’t fit into the perfect little box, the very people the world said weren’t good enough and were too “insert adjective here” to ever be good enough. Actually, it seems as though every time someone was told by culture or society or the world around them that they weren’t enough, God stooped down and lifted their chin and said “you’re enough for me” and used them to do amazing works, miraculous works even. Look at King David, he is one of the most well-known characters in scripture and yet, he wasn’t even considered in the line up to become king. His own father didn’t even think him capable or worthy but he was God’s beloved and chosen king. The scrawny young shepherd boy who played music out in his father’s fields was the warrior God used to take down giants and save kingdoms. David was exactly as he was meant to be for the glory of God and so are you!

So why do we readily embrace such prejudice against God’s image? Because in reality, that’s exactly what this is. It’s an attack on God’s work in and through us. The Bible says that all of us are made in the image of God, we are all an expression of His love, a facet of our creator. All of us unique and reflective of our heavenly father. So why are we so quick to tear each other down and pick apart appearances when God is the one who lovingly crafted every bit of our person? I mean you must think you’re something special to set yourself up as a higher appraiser than the creator of the universe and call something He made in His own image ugly or unworthy or unacceptable.

Now, regarding the whole concept of averages and “normal”, there’s really no such thing. None of us are normal or average, you can’t create an average when you have such unique masterpieces. That’s like taking artwork by Picasso, DaVinci, Vangogh, Monet, Dali and trying to establish a standard of beauty between them. You can’t and if you tried you would be doing a disservice to the artwork and the artist because all of those works are unique and created to be that way. They are crafted skillfully with different colors, different brush strokes, on different mediums and formed from different expressions and perspectives and styles and they are all beautiful in their own right. Each piece of art speaking to different people in different ways. WE are GOD’S masterpiece, a dream wrapped up in flesh and bone.

So again, no one can tell you that you’re below average, above average, or average because there’s no such thing. No one can tell you that you’re not enough, or "less than" when God has shown you that even if you were the only one, YOU are worth dying for. YOU are beyond comparison don’t let the world fool you and world, let’s not be fooled by such a ridiculous notion. Let’s love on each other as we were created to and seek the beauty and the value in other people because it literally costs us nothing to do that and more importantly, It’s God’s expectation of us. Multiple times throughout scripture God tells us to not judge lest we be judged (so you can hop right on down from your soapbox, your judgement seat, your pedestal, your privilege because none of us have a right to it, we have a responsibility to lift others up) and also, to love one another as ourselves.

I’ve always wondered why didn’t He just leave it at love one another, why is the second greatest commandment to love others as we love ourselves? It’s because the way we love others is distinctly related to the way in which we love God and then love ourselves or don’t. The way we view other people is influenced heavily by how we view ourselves and what we are taught to believe about ourselves. So not only must we love others but we must stop subscribing to oppressive man-made ideas about our own value and worth and our own identity, we have to end the cycle.

So for the love of God, UNSUBSCRIBE! Stop listening to the world’s point of view where it concerns your identity and security. Stop giving power and presence to predjudice and hatred towards Gods image and His handiwork. Stop acknowledging a measurement system that has no actual foundation or basis in reality. Stop giving the opinions and preferences of broken man more attention than the God-given truth of who you actually are. Stop letting numbers dictate how and when and if you live your life to the fullest because this is all you get, one life. Everyday that passes is a day that you'll never get to live again and tomorrow isn't promised. So for the love of God and all that He is, stop wasting your life on insecurity and the things you buy into to assuage it. Look to the one who made you, who actually knows you (inside and out), who loves you, who molded you with intention and purpose and calling, who has masterful plans for your life that don't require you to look a certain way to accomplish them (or I should say, it does require you to look a certain way because it requires you to look and be exactly you, just as you are).

He gave every creature it’s breath, every flower it’s beauty, every living thing it's perfect purpose and function so, why are you determined to believe that you are a haphazard creation, thrown together at the last minute, unresolved and unworthy? Why do you believe that your body is flawed and ugly when God took His time making every little bit of you, arguably more time than it took to grow your favorite flower or paint the most beautiful sunset the world has ever seen. Why would you listen to the opinions of man when you can bask in the love of your creator?