Compared to Who? a 10-Day Plan to Improve Your Body Imageনমুনা

Combination locks make me nervous. They remind my red gym locker from high school. After a few failed attempts to get the lock open, I'd panic. If it didn't unlatch before the bell rang, I'd have to wear my gym clothes for the rest of the day! How embarrassing.

Over the years, whenever I heard someone talk about how they "got over" their body image issues, my ears perked up as if they divulged a secret combination:

Three clicks left of "Love your body."

One full spin of "Embrace your curves."

Two clicks right of "You are special."

Spin it left back to "Accept who you are," then take a half-turn counterclockwise while saying, "God made me beautiful."

I tried all the "magic" formulas. But I felt like Dorothy from Wizard of Oz, clicking my heels and chanting, "There's no place like home." I'd follow the directions, open my eyes, and discover I hadn't changed a bit.

Desperate for freedom, I consumed body image books and listened to every speaker. I smiled at myself in the mirror. I took everyone's advice and did everything anyone suggested to fix my body image issues. But nothing worked. Disheartened, I felt depressed each time I realized that another new method had failed.

It was just like trying to open that combination lock in school. Nothing could make it spring loose.

We have different stories. Some have wrestled full-blown eating disorders triggered by body image lies that choke out truth and life. For others, the struggle of another's cruel words or behavior planted seeds of body shame that have felt impossible to remove. Or, maybe your struggle started with comparison. You made observations about another's size or shape and then heard the enemy whisper, "You're worthless unless you look like that."

I don't want to minimize the uniqueness of each of our struggles. But I do want to encourage you with some hope. No matter how, when, or why your body image struggles began, there's a way to be free. It's not a secret formula or tricky combination. Instead, it's just a turn toward Jesus—moving to a better understanding of how the gospel can speak to and truly heal our broken body image.

I'll explain more of how this works in the days that follow. Today, let's look at scriptures that remind us of who Jesus is and what he did for us.