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

Where is Your Treasure?

In Matthew 13, Jesus tells parables illustrating the kingdom of God as a treasure. These stories, like the Parable of the Pearl and the Parable of the Hidden Treasure, demonstrate the kind of enthusiasm, joy, and reverence we are to have for the things of God versus the things of this world.

One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned in my recovery from body image issues is that it’s easy to forget what and where my treasure is found. I want to treasure beauty, acceptance, recognition, or status. Too often, I forget that my real treasure isn’t found in these things. I chase them anyway. Thinking, somehow, they’ll bring me joy. But they don’t. They keep me on a treadmill to nowhere.

Here’s what I’ve also learned: when the things of God don’t bring the joy they’re supposed to bring, there’s often something in the way.

Earlier in the book of Matthew, you’ll read the Parable of the Weeds. Before that, you’ll find the Parable of the Sower. Seeds of God’s grace and goodness get planted in our hearts, but living for Him is challenging because of all the weeds trying to choke it out. We want it all: the things of the world and some Jesus. But we can’t choose both. We have to “sell all we have” to follow him.

I didn’t want to sell the identity I had built as a “gym girl” or someone who knew about diets and nutrition. Letting go of these identities was painful. They had become my treasure.

Now I know I can’t have both. I can’t go back to being a slave to food rules and body shame and do what Jesus has called me to do. That life always choked out any time and energy I had to do things for Jesus. My body improvement projects were never finished. There was always something else to fix or another part to perfect. Chasing beauty was a full-time job! And, as Matthew 6:24 instructs, I couldn't serve two masters.

You may be at a crossroads today like I was. This was the first time I felt the gravity of choosing to follow Jesus. Body image issues are issues of the heart. Your body is not your problem. Instead, ask what are you treasuring?