(This is a post I wrote for my children last year - but it still seems relevant to share.)
I realize I have a special responsibility to help you see and understand this amazing gift because the heart that God gave to me pumped blood and air into your tiny forming lungs. I am 23 weeks pregnant, crossing the threshold of when this newest baby could live in the outside world, and so this is what I want you to know:
You are beautiful. Your body is God's fingerprint in this world, unique and masterly crafted. God doesn't not make us as carbon copies, but gives us our features, shapes and attributes as a way of marking us as His own. The curve of your nose, the shape of your mouth, the length of your body is a sign of God's affection for your special place in the world.
Your duty is to treat this precious body as the gift that it is - treasure it, protect it, nourish it, use it and be grateful every day for your beating heart, a truly masterful engine.
Babies naturally understand the wonder of the human body - any adult who has ever watched a new baby discover their fingers or their toes - has seen this plainly, and yet something happens to us as we age, we lose sight of the miracle of our bodies. One day we look in the mirror and think, "I wish "X" was more "Y". We begin to use language that devalues our sense of self, language that shows our lack of understanding about how amazing our bodies really are.
It isn't just how we talk about our own bodies, but also how we talk about the bodies around us. Right now you are still young, but certainly not immune to this kind of talk, and so we don't use words like "fat" or "ugly". You already know there are taboo words - words that are hurtful and unproductive. Adults who use those words are often being ignorant or even more likely are feeling inadequate themselves.
Raise people up with your words. Raise yourself up with your words. In the silence of your heart, use beautiful language when you think of yourself. Think about how your dad and I see you - as tremendous, beautiful miracles.
Be grateful for your strong legs, your powerful heart, your amazing brain. Think about how remarkable it is that we balance all our weight on the tiny bones in our feet, think of the hundreds of muscles in your body working together to give you movement, think of your skin regenerating all the time, covering you in ever growing and changing protection.Your brain is a most amazing instrument. Use it. Technically, your brain has the capacity to store everything you experience, see, read or hear. God gave us brains that can do so much more than we even know.
An interesting fact I just read, pound for pound your tongue is your strongest muscle. Makes me think there is a good reason your tongue is so close to your brain - make sure they are working together. Remember that power when you use it to talk about your body, remember that when you talk about other people's bodies.
Take care of your body. Fuel it with good foods. Use it joyfully with exercise. You are not what you weigh. Don't get caught up in a numbers game that you cannot win. "Skinny" is a sort of useless and loaded word. Would you rather be strong or skinny? Think carefully about what you aspire to be. If you treat yourself as a precious gift, nourishing your mind, your soul and your body, you won't need an instrument to measure yourself. You will know that you are strong, solid and perfect in God's eyes.
I have struggled with this myself, but seeing you has helped me recognize the dysfunctional ways the world talks about and treats bodies. God gives us love in many different ways, many different times in our lives, but we are only given this one body. You'll never get anything more precious.
Honor this life you are given. You are beautiful.
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