Body-shaming is always talked about--it is all over the media. However, self-body shaming appears to be silently expressed in the media world. The media portrays different “ideal body types,” telling us our bodies are not good enough. The media puts up nearly unrealistic pictures of other people to compare ourselves to. Too often we forget who gave us our intricately designed, beautiful and flawless bodies. By hating our bodies, they are essentially telling God "We hate the way you made us. You messed up.” Self-body shaming is more than just shaming our own bodies. It is shaming God's beautiful creation. Too often, we forget the beauty in God's creation, especially ourselves.

With today’s media, it is so easy to find at least ten things you hate about yourself, whether in appearance or personality. We are taught to hate ourselves. I challenge you to get a piece of paper and split it in half vertically. On the left side, write down each thing you hate about yourself--seriously! Now, for everything you hate about yourself, write two things you love about yourself on the right side of the paper. I guarantee it was much easier to find things you hate about yourself--I know it was for me! This is the type of society we live in. We accentuate our flaws other people tell us about, and do not magnify our individual strengths.

Song of Solomon 4:7 (ESV) says “You are altogether beautiful, my love--there is no flaw in you.” This bible verse has been eating away at my heart, especially over the past few weeks. Just as most of you, I have health problems. I view them as flaws and God messing me up. Yet, this bible verse so lovingly tells me I am beautiful--there is no flaw in me. Despite what society says, I am beautiful. Despite my medical records, I am made flawless. I was not created to hate the body God gave me. The media was created for that. I was created to love the unlovable, clothe the naked, seek justice, encourage the oppressed, defend the cause of orphans, and to be sincere (Isaiah 1:17, Luke 6:27, Romans 12:9). Why would God make us “flawed” in our eyes, without a purpose? The answer is simple--We are not flawed. Every single flaw we see in our eyes, is a way for God to reach out to us. It is a way for us to reach out to others.

Complaining about our flaws is complaining about God. Loving ourselves is loving God. Genesis 1:27 (ESV) says: “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him--male and female he created them.” We are intricately designed by a loving Father who has never made a mistake. Your breasts are exactly how God wanted them to be. Your butt is exactly how God wanted it to be. Your smile is exactly how God wanted it to be. Your eyes are exactly how God wanted them to be. We never had a say in how we were made because we would mess it all up. We would mess up God’s plan by changing how we look. So your friend has a nicer smile than you, she has bigger breasts than you, a flatter stomach than you--so what? How is your heart? Is it full of love, or is it full of envy and jealousy? God never intended us to hate ourselves. God intended us to use our “flaws” for his kingdom. Our crippling and unnecessary “flaws” are there to build persistence and strength. They are there to point us back to the One who will hold us and love us at our darkest times (Romans 5:8).

Despite what the media has told us, God made each one of us beautiful. He made us exactly the way He thought we should be made. He took His time to make us perfect in His eyes. Yet, here we are--shaming His creation. Shaming His purpose for all of our “flaws.” I challenge you to keep the list of things you hate and love about yourself in a place you see often. When feelings of insecurity and incompetence fill your mind, turn to the One who gave you life. Turn to the One who intimately loves His creation. Turn to the One who made you flawless.