Posts
One of the qualities I admire about my husband is that he's totally comfortable in his body. Sometimes to a fault...like when he comes home after a round of golf, and I can follow the apparel trail from socks to shorts to shirt to boxers. It's one thing to be au natural out of the shower; quite another when it involves someone (um, that would be me) picking up the clothes left behind. But, I digress.
For me, full-length mirrors are objects of torture. I’d be thrilled if women's bathing suits took a leap back, way back, like to 1920. Body issues? I have enough for two bodies. Here’s what's sometimes difficult for people to understand about the body-issue issue. It's not necessarily a function of being overweight. It’s about the body I think people see when they look at me. Sure, I'm grateful JLo brought back butts. But so far, no one’s brought back rippling thighs and jiggling upper arms. I become painfully aware of this extra baggage when I can’t hide it under clothes. So much so, that I’m actually self-conscious around my own husband. And even though I may slip into bed wearing nothing but perfume, I’m clothed in these insecurities. Those niggling, “good gracious what do I look like and what must he be thinking” thoughts that aren’t conducive to intimacy-physically or emotionally. One day, after a meltdown over a wardrobe crisis that left me in tears on the floor of our closet, Ken told me, “You don’t get it. The Christa I love is inside that body. A body that I like to look at. When you get this way about how you look, I feel like you don’t trust me. Don’t you believe me when I tell you that I think you’re beautiful?”
Am I suggesting we live on cheesecake and ice cream and grow like goldfish to fit the bowls of our houses? No. God created low-fat yogurt for a reason. Seriously, though, eating healthy and exercising are important. God does want us to respect the one temple He’s given us to house our souls. He wants us to delight in one another, seeing ourselves as He sees us. After all, nowhere in Proverbs 31 could I find that a wife should be clothed in a size 2 Marc Jacobs.
5 Zesters spoke up:
Pretty good point, Christa :) This does make one wonder...if the only other person who ever sees me naked thinks that I'm beautiful- and he does- then why can't I take his word for it?
I do believe I'm going to!
AMEN! Im a size 24. and because of my husband continued LOVE for my body... this woman will walk out in a swimsuit at a pool. Everytime i get nervous i think "if he loves me this way, then it doesnt matter what anyone else thinks." Its a great freedom! Oh, and my dh is so great! Im a t-shirt and jeans gal. He goes shopping for me every so often to buy me nicer things. I LOVE em... im not good at choosing things for myself and he is fantastic at it! TRUST your husbands ladies!!! Its an awesome bonus to your relationship!
This is exactly what I needed to hear today. i struggle with these insecurities often. Thanks for posting!
Thanks for your comments. They helped me through the first posting jitters!
Great post! There's a cartoon of a man and woman standing in front of a full-length mirror. The woman is average size, but sees herself as huge and disproportionate; however, the man with a big belly overhang sees himself as a body builder. My hubby says that's us and he's the happier of the two. I definitely need to begin looking through his eyes.
-FringeGirl
Post a Comment