Eyes. Ears. Skin. We have muscles that propel us through space. And our brains? Marvelous! Our created bodies are masterpieces in God’s creation, proclaimed “very good” (Genesis 1:31).
Yet, somehow, we have a difficult relationship with our bodies.
Every day, we are exposed to hundreds of messages about our bodies: clothe them, shrink them, make them more muscular, tan them, bleach them, surgically alter them…every day, our culture tells us our bodies are not good enough.
We have been created, named and claimed by a God who sees us as inherently good. Somewhere along the line we forgot that. We left the garden and we stepped out into the world afraid of our bodies. Yet God still sees us as good.
When we claim this truth, that our bodies are good gifts from a loving Creator, we take a step back to the garden, a step forward to God’s kingdom. You are created good. Your body is a gift. Every part of it. May you come to know this, believe it, and share that belief with those around you.
This message is excerpted from “Genesis and loving our bodies” by Amanda Zentz-Alo in the May 2016 Café online magazine.
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