The 40-Day Mirror Fast: Focusing Your Eyes on Jesus and Off Your Appearanceნიმუში

What Happens When You Look in the Mirror?

Let's make what we talked about yesterday more personal.

Though you are fasting from the mirror now, consider how your relationship with the mirror has gone. When you look in the mirror, what do you see? Do you feel like the reflected image is authentically you? Or do you feel separated from that image?

Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) is a mental health condition where one becomes obsessed with their physical flaws. Not everyone with body issues meets the clinical standards of BDD; I've found that many women tend to see themselves as separate from their bodies. They may feel okay about their personality or accomplishments but believe their body doesn't match their insides. No matter how much they change or "fix," they often feel it can never be good enough.

Some spend a lifetime trying to get their outsides to meet their expectations. For those with BDD especially, it's a losing battle.

Theologically, it's essential to understand that God made our bodies. He made them on purpose and for his purpose. Our souls weren't haphazardly assigned a body. God chose your body for a reason. He equipped you with everything you need to accomplish His purpose for your life.

Our bodies give us clues as to what he designed us for. As a woman who hovers around 5'5", I'm sure God didn't design me to be a basketball player. My bottom half is sturdier than my top half, so I wasn't created for competitive swimming either. But God gave me short, fast fingers for typing—the fastest in my tenth-grade keyboarding class. Perhaps one of the things God designed my body specifically for was the work of writing books.

As we search scripture today, we'll look at verses that show how intentional God is with everything he creates. He gave specific dimensions and directions for the construction of Noah's Ark, the Tabernacle, and the temple of Solomon. Corinthians tells us that our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit.

You are also his temple. Why would God have been less intentional about your design?

Spend some time today thinking about how God made you. It's easy to get caught up, thinking about how our bodies don't match our ideal image. But today, consider how God may have created your body on purpose, for his purpose.