Friday, December 28, 2012

Roots

The other day, my kids were pulling weeds for me.  After a few minutes, I noticed they were only pulling at the leaves and leaving the roots in the ground.  I sat with them and took some time to show them why we don't just pull the leaves off and make it look "pretty".  I explained to them how, in order to keep a weed from growing back, we needed to pull the weed completely out of the ground by its roots.

The same is true for all of us who have any sort of underlying issues with food.  We have to get to the root of the problem if we are ever to truly be successful at reaching our goals.  That being said, we must understand that it's not always the amount of food, or necessarily even the type of food that is the issue.  The real issue might be the desire for control, as it has been for me.  It could be that you are looking to fill a void and so you turn to food (I've been that girl, too).  Or perhaps, if you really dig deep, you might realize that you  have convinced yourself that in order to be loved, or admired, or successful, you have to attain a certain weight or size.  And because you believe this to be true, you deprive yourself or begin diet after diet, after diet in hopes of finding that one diet that will make you... good enough.

But I'd like to share with you one of the most freeing things I've learned since my journey began.

It doesn't matter if you're a size two or a size twenty two.  No diet, no amount of working out, no amount of starvation or deprivation will ever turn you in to the person you want to be.  Because, you see- there is only one you.  There will only ever be one you.  You are created to be one of a kind and who you are is already good enough. Who you are is already beautiful.

"Behold, you are beautiful, my love; behold, you are beautiful." 
Song of Solomon 1:15

So, of course you want to be healthy.  I'm talking about digging a little deeper and examining the root of your motivation to lose weight. If your goal is health and longevity, rock on, friend!  But if your main goal is to be loved, you need to know that you are already there- regardless of your size, your shape, or your status.

So stop searching.  Stop trying to fill that void, or turn yourself into somebody you are not.  Stop comparing yourself to the people on the magazine covers.  In case you haven't heard by now, those photos are dramatically edited and altered to create an illusion of perfection (for more on this, click here).  Don't try to be like the actresses who starve themselves or work out 16 hours out of every day in hopes of attaining "perfection"... because physical perfection is an unattainable illusion- a lie the enemy has created and society has set as the ultimate standard for both men and women.  People spend billions each year trying to attain "perfection" instead of trying to attain health, and it's literally killing them inside and out.

So this year, I have an idea for all of us- for you, for me, for the girl we all think is "perfect" who is truly just miserable and would trade everything she has for a family, or for friends who love her regardless of her appearance.  Here's my idea- instead of focusing on trying to become someone you were never meant to be, learn to appreciate who you are and how you were created.  Learn to let go of the  false idea, the facade of perfection and, instead, work towards becoming the best version of you, that you can be.  

Because, dear friend, no matter your size, no mater your status- who you are is beautiful. 

Who you are, is loved.

Thanks for reading!  Have a terrific week!

The Fat Girl, Slim

****SIDENOTE*****  My hope is that you are encouraged- however, should you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail me directly: christileigh@rocketmail.com

2 comments:

  1. Oh my gosh...you have no idea how much I neede to hear this...seriously...it is like you just read every thought going through my head right now....thank you..

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ash- I love you friend. This is a word that I, too, needed to hear tonight. It's not from me, I assure you. It's from Him. :) You. Are. Beautiful, sweet friend.

      Delete