Created in the Image of God: Confronting Body Shaming with Biblical Truths
“Look at your face, very rough, that’s why nobody would use you as their little bride. You better ask God to forgive you cause its your behaviour that made him punish you with pimples “. As I stood in the mirror preparing for church, these words from childhood rang in my head. I had started struggling with acne from age ten(10) and here I was, an adult still fighting. In this Era of social media, where beauty standards have being defined by glass skins, curvy hips, flat tummy and round buttocks, many people; young and old struggle with self image and body shaming- from others and themselves. But what is the standard of the bible?
The Bible offers a radically different perspective on human worth: One that is not rooted in appearance but in identity. At the heart of this truth is the statement found in Genesis 1:26-27. “Then God said, let us make man in our image, after our likeness… So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.” This scripture reminds us that every human being- regardless of size, shape, ability or appearance is made in the image of God and therefore carries inherent dignity, value and beauty.
Body Shaming VS God’s View of the Body
Wikipedia defines Body shaming as the action or inaction of subjecting someone to humiliation and criticism for their bodily features. One Monday morning in Jss 2, at the assembly ground while “Mrs F” was doing the hygiene check, she looked at me and said “Look at your face, as rough as an iron sponge”. Everybody on that line giggled, except me. It was always one snide remark or the other about my face and all it made me feel was shame, insecurity and unworthiness. But one Christmas came and my memory verse for recitation was Psalm 139. Interestingly, I got stuck at verse 14. “I will praise thee; for i am fearfully and wonderfully made: Marvellous are thy works and that my soul knoweth right well“
Wait a minute!, you mean this face was intentionally curated to be wonderful and unique? Not a reflection of any unrealistic cultural standards?. This was the turning point for me.
The Image of God includes the Body
Being made in God’s image is not just a spiritual or intellectual idea- it includes the physical body. While God is a spirit (John 4:24), he decided to create humanity with physical form and called it “very good” “And God saw everything that he had made and behold, I was very good…” Genesis 1:31. Do you know what this means? It means God looked at you and said “VERY GOOD”. He looked at your height and said “VERY GOOD”, he looked at your chubby tummy and said “VERY GOOD”, he saw your gap tooth and said “VERY GOOD”. If the creator marks you “very good” by his standard, why do you think the society’s standard counts?
Jesus affirms the value of everybody
When Jesus walked on earth, he intentionally ministered to those the world often rejected- the lepers, the disabled, the outcast, the poor. He never shamed anyone for their appearance, instead he restored dignity and affirmed their worth. When Samuel the prophet, sought for a king to rule over Israel, the lord spake unto him saying. “…look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature;…for the lord seeth not as a man seeth; for man looked on the outward appearance, but the lord looked on the heart” 1 Samuel 16:7. Once more, this scripture is a reflection that true beauty is not found in the outward form but in the character and worth that God has placed on us.
Combating Body Shaming as followers of Christ
To truly reflect God’s image, we must reject every negative perspective portrayed on us about our body by others or by ourselves. We can do this through;
- Speaking words of life: Prior to when I discovered my identity in Christ, I would stare at the mirror and cry, telling my reflection “You’re such an ugly girl, why is your face so rough? Nobody wants to be friends with you, why can’t you be like other girls?” These were my confessions until I encountered the word. Afterwards my daily affirmations transformed to what God says about me. “I am a city set on a hill, I am created in the image and likeness of God, I am fearfully and wonderfully made“. These confessions improved my self confidence and esteem generally. Search the scriptures, what does God say about you? Make that your confession. “Death and life are in the power of the tongue and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof” Proverbs 18:21.
- Celebrating diversity: Recognising that beauty is not a one size fits all phenomenon but rather a state that embraces different perspectives. A popular children poem by Cedarmont Kids says “Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world. Red and Yellow, black and white, they are precious in his sight. Jesus loves the little children of the world”. We are all God’s children; Fat, skinny, tall, short, fair, dark, dimples or no dimples, whatever standard it is that the society might decide to use as the metrics for beauty . “We are precious in his sight” is the assurance.
- Building each other up: Knowing that our identity is secure in Christ, not in mirrors or the media, let us build and not destroy others with our words. We are to admonish one another in love, with words seasoned with grace. “Let your speech be with grace, seasoned with salt…” Colossians 4:6
Conclusion
You are God’s masterpiece. In a world that pressures us to conform to superficial ideas, God reminds us that we are his masterpiece (Ephesians 2:10). You are not a mistake. You are not too much or not enough. You are created in the image of God, fearfully and wonderfully made and worthy of love, dignity and respect. In the words of wise men “Let us love God, the Holy Spirit, Our own body and everyone“.
Images from Google image
