Love Your Body

Whitney Hopler

Diets, plastic surgery, tanning salons, eating disorders, makeovers, hair replacement, tonics - all can be signs that people don't like their bodies. No one has a perfect body in our fallen world, but we do all have bodies designed by God to do amazing things and express our uniqueness.

Even though we may have to contend with some wrinkles or fat, God loves us. And when we look in the mirror, He wants us to love the body He has given us to live inside.

Here are some ways you can accept and embrace your body:

Adapted from Loving Your Body: Embracing Your True Beauty in Christ, copyright 2002 by Deborah Newman. A Focus on the Family book published by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Ill., www.tyndale.com, 1-800-323-9400.

Dr. Deborah Newman is a licensed professional counselor and marriage and family therapist with the Meier New Life Clinics. A conference speaker and guest on radio and television shows, she is also the author of several magazine articles and books. She and her husband, Brian, have two children, Rachel and Ben, and live in Dallas, Texas.

What do you like about your body? What do you not like about it? What pressures do you feel from our society's emphasis on the current ideal body type? How has God helped you accept and appreciate your unique body? What encouragement would you like to offer others who are struggling to accept their bodies? Visit Crosswalk's forums to discuss this topic by clicking on the link below.

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