Free Reshaping It All by Candace Bure Page B
Authors: Candace Bure
meditate on Psalm 139:13â16:
For You formed my inward parts;
You covered me in my mother's womb.
I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Marvelous are Your works,
And that my soul knows very well.
My frame was not hidden from You,
When I was made in secret,
And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.
And in Your book they all were written,
The days fashioned for me,
When as yet there were none of them. (NKJV)
Perhaps you're a size sixteen, you're basically happy with yourself, but you longed to be a few sizes smaller. You might even feel that shedding a few pounds would give you more energy, add to your health, and give your figure a more feminine appearance. You may even dream of the day when you finally walk into a mall and find that the styles you like fit you well.
On the other hand you may ask yourself, Is it really God's will, or is it my own? Does God care if I'm a size sixteen or a six? Does God care if I lose weight?
Let me first say this: God loves you, just the shape you are, and there isn't a single number on the scale that could ever change that. Do you know how enthralled He is with your beauty? How He knows the number of hairs on your head, and how He treasures every minute you spend quiet in His presence?
Yes, He loves you just as you are, regardless of your size, and there is nothing average about you or His love.
But let me also say that God designed the female body in a beautiful formâcurvaceous, soft, and feminine. He understands the desire we have to walk across the mall, to slip into smaller sized pants, to like the reflection we see, and to hold a form of beauty both inside and out. After all, He created all things beautiful, from the smallest detail of a flower to the vastness of the midnight sky.
And while He loves us, He has given us the opportunity to improve our quality of life, but ultimately you will have to make that choice. No one will make it for you. Only you can weigh the cost and make that decision.
Is it God's desire that I care for my body? Since it's the temple of the Holy Spirit, I have to say yes. Many health concerns are out of our hands, but in many cases a healthy body is a reflection of an inner life that is balanced and one that has exercised self-control.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. (Gal. 5:22â23)
If your body is rolling you out of bed instead of you rolling it, you've gotta wonder what your heart is thinking.
We can start by living by the Spirit while we stop following the heart of discontentment and doubt.
Countless potential dieters are sitting on the proverbial fence. They desperately want to jump over to the other side where new life begins, but fear and doubt spring from the heart, holding them back. Remember, the heart will deceive us with all sorts of negative thoughts:
⢠You're getting older, and older people can't take off the weight.
⢠You've tried so many times before, and you'll just fail again.
⢠Your family is overweight, so you will always be that way too.
⢠You're too far gone; it would take years to get back to a normal, acceptable size.
⢠Your husband likes you overweight, so why bother.
⢠You like food too much; it's not worth the effort.
Do any of the following thoughts affect your self-image?
⢠I'm not attractive.
⢠I'm fat.
⢠I'm a loser.
⢠I'm too masculine.
⢠I'm not accepted.
⢠I won't be good enough until . . .
⢠My body is disgusting.
⢠Nobody could ever love me.
I hope you don't contemplate any of these thoughts, but unfortunately many women who can't take off weight do.
The simple fact is that if these negative, destructive thoughts are growing in your heart, you will be as you think. If you let those thoughts remain in
For You formed my inward parts;
You covered me in my mother's womb.
I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Marvelous are Your works,
And that my soul knows very well.
My frame was not hidden from You,
When I was made in secret,
And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.
And in Your book they all were written,
The days fashioned for me,
When as yet there were none of them. (NKJV)
Perhaps you're a size sixteen, you're basically happy with yourself, but you longed to be a few sizes smaller. You might even feel that shedding a few pounds would give you more energy, add to your health, and give your figure a more feminine appearance. You may even dream of the day when you finally walk into a mall and find that the styles you like fit you well.
On the other hand you may ask yourself, Is it really God's will, or is it my own? Does God care if I'm a size sixteen or a six? Does God care if I lose weight?
Let me first say this: God loves you, just the shape you are, and there isn't a single number on the scale that could ever change that. Do you know how enthralled He is with your beauty? How He knows the number of hairs on your head, and how He treasures every minute you spend quiet in His presence?
Yes, He loves you just as you are, regardless of your size, and there is nothing average about you or His love.
But let me also say that God designed the female body in a beautiful formâcurvaceous, soft, and feminine. He understands the desire we have to walk across the mall, to slip into smaller sized pants, to like the reflection we see, and to hold a form of beauty both inside and out. After all, He created all things beautiful, from the smallest detail of a flower to the vastness of the midnight sky.
And while He loves us, He has given us the opportunity to improve our quality of life, but ultimately you will have to make that choice. No one will make it for you. Only you can weigh the cost and make that decision.
Is it God's desire that I care for my body? Since it's the temple of the Holy Spirit, I have to say yes. Many health concerns are out of our hands, but in many cases a healthy body is a reflection of an inner life that is balanced and one that has exercised self-control.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. (Gal. 5:22â23)
If your body is rolling you out of bed instead of you rolling it, you've gotta wonder what your heart is thinking.
We can start by living by the Spirit while we stop following the heart of discontentment and doubt.
Countless potential dieters are sitting on the proverbial fence. They desperately want to jump over to the other side where new life begins, but fear and doubt spring from the heart, holding them back. Remember, the heart will deceive us with all sorts of negative thoughts:
⢠You're getting older, and older people can't take off the weight.
⢠You've tried so many times before, and you'll just fail again.
⢠Your family is overweight, so you will always be that way too.
⢠You're too far gone; it would take years to get back to a normal, acceptable size.
⢠Your husband likes you overweight, so why bother.
⢠You like food too much; it's not worth the effort.
Do any of the following thoughts affect your self-image?
⢠I'm not attractive.
⢠I'm fat.
⢠I'm a loser.
⢠I'm too masculine.
⢠I'm not accepted.
⢠I won't be good enough until . . .
⢠My body is disgusting.
⢠Nobody could ever love me.
I hope you don't contemplate any of these thoughts, but unfortunately many women who can't take off weight do.
The simple fact is that if these negative, destructive thoughts are growing in your heart, you will be as you think. If you let those thoughts remain in
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