I’ve never heard a sermon on body image.
It seems bizarre, considering body image concerns are not a fringe issue.
Our culture is oriented around cosmetics, fitness goals, fad diets, skinny models, selfies and getting your beach body ready. Today, body image is not only a problem for women, but also an increasing number of men and even children as young as eight.
But when was the last time you heard body image discussed in church? We know that “our body is a temple”, but from there, many Christians I know fall back into clichés and Bible verses out of context. Some of us think body image struggles are just vanity, some feel guilty for even thinking about their body, while others think it’s a topic for women only.
This lack of discussion has meant many Christians simply don’t examine their attitudes about body image. They can be as bad as anyone else at disparaging their bodies or perpetuating attitudes that reinforce body image problems.
Talking about body image in church matters, and how we talk about our body image as Christians matters. But how do we do that well, particularly for people who are struggling with body image?
Here’s what I recommend.
Don’t say, “It’s what’s inside that matters.”
You’d be hard pressed to find anyone who hasn’t been taught this – inside church or outside it.
But the fact is, most people don’t need to be reminded of the importance of “beauty that comes from within” (1 Peter 3:3-4). The problem is, they can’t believe it.
It’s not hard to see why. Around us, we’re continually sold the lie that, if our “outside” looked a certain way, then our “inside” would feel better. We’d be happier, more content, more loved, more successful.
It’s true that your outside is not as important as your inner beauty. But what’s more important to know is that our bodies and even our inner flaws pale in comparison when we know who we are in Christ.
Don’t say, “You shouldn’t think about your body.”
How we relate to our bodies isn’t as simple as just trying really hard not to think about it. It can feel like a fundamental part of our identity and can impact our spirituality.
American pastor Tim Keller compares spiritual sickness to a broken limb. When your leg is healthy, you walk, run, and jump on your leg without thinking much of it. It is only when you break your leg that you notice it. In fact, your entire body takes a hit for the wound – and has to compensate for it.
It’s like this with body image. For some of us, body image is a spiritual “wound” – and it’s hard not to think about it when that part of you is “broken”. We need to come to a place where we recognise that – for many of us – we have a broken view of our body. It will loom large for many of us.
It’s not an issue of willpower, but of careful theology. One reason why it’s so important to share about body image from the pulpit.
Don’t assume body image issues are a moral failing.
I know Christians who have been chided or even shamed for being preoccupied with “silly”, “temporal” things like their bodies. Worse, body image issues can be dismissed as pure vanity – a type of idolatry that’s your own fault.
But body image issues can run very deep, far beyond just “being vain”. For some people, they can be entwined with intense shame, fear of abandonment, control issues and other problems.
Being rebuked for this “sin” can be incredibly destructive. Instead, these individuals need help to parse out what is fuelling their need to focus on their physical body.
This is a pastoral and psychological issue, not one for reprimand.
What’s a better way to talk about body image?
Christians should be reminding each other, every day, that their bodies are good gifts from God. After all, God “knit us together” from our earliest moments – we are “fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14). We are his image bearers.
The way you think about your body makes a bigger difference than you may think. One study suggested that Christians who are reminded of these truths are more likely to feel good about their bodies, regardless of their appearance. Conversely, Christians who held a theology that their bodies as evil and corrupt were more likely to feel body shame and hatred. Ironically, this makes them more fixated with their bodies.
How we think about our bodies can impact us physically as well as spiritually. So here’s three tips to model better body image.
1) Use honouring language about your body
It’s socially acceptable to put your appearance down, particularly for women. But when we do, we are putting a judgment on our bodies – bodies that are good gifts from God, no matter what size or shape.
Instead, it’s important to speak about your body in an honouring way. Take a moment to appreciate your body for what it is, not how it looks. I can think about all the things it does, giving thanks for how it moves and all it’s able to achieve in a day. Even when my body is failing, there are things to give thanks for.
2) Pursue a healthy lifestyle
It’s not your body – it’s God’s. It’s been given to us so that we can pay it forward as a “living sacrifice” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).
Being a good steward of the body you’ve been given doesn’t mean we have to be gym junkies (1 Timothy 4:8). But at the same time, eating chips and cake every day may not be good stewardship of your resources that God has given you. I am free to choose, but I do it reminding myself that I’m doing it for God’s purpose.
3) Notice your attitude
If I’m having a day where I don’t feel my best, I’ve taken to saying, “I don’t feel very body positive today,” instead of criticising my body. It shifts the focus to my internal view, instead of passing judgment on a body type.
It’s a simple shift, but checking our attitudes is no small matter. I know that I regularly hear people say things like, “Urgh. She’s put on weight, hasn’t she?” or “He’s got no muscles, he’s so scrawny.”
Why do we do this? If we know that what’s inside is what matters, why do we pass judgment when a friend puts on five kilos?
The truth is, our attitudes impact others. They can be part of the problem or part of the solution. If we’re harsh and critical of our bodies, we are complicit in a culture that says your body is shameful if it doesn’t look a certain way. But when we praise and celebrate one another in our diversity, we help set others free from the tyranny of aesthetics that – frankly – may or may not be realistic for all of us.
The culture around us is drowning in superficiality and misplaced priorities with the physical body. It takes all of us to cultivate a healthy culture of body image.
If our bodies are a gift from God, doesn’t it matter how we talk about them?
