Well, in case you didn’t know, it’s “Body Positivity Week.”
Yep, thanks to BuzzFeed, we’re being bombarded with full-frontal content about Forget-You-I-Love-My-Curves, and NGAFudge-ing about what anyone thinks about our cellulite, and Dag-Nabit I’m wearing a bikini if I want to, and how dare you body shame me.

It’s actually kind of ironic how it’s Body POSITIVITY Week, and yet so many of the articles have an acoustically negative skew.

Granted, not all…but I spent a good 45 minutes parusing the articles, — because, hey…this is sorta my wheelhouse — and I maaaaybe came across two articles that I actually could get behind.
Now, I know this may seem a little “off-brand” for me to not be all gung-ho about a week that, from the surface, is about loving yourself and your body and embracing your beauty.
And, absolutely, I am obviously on board for all of those things.
But, I’ve got to be honest. I’m personally not on the “BoPo” train.
And this is coming from a girl who will regularly spontaneously turn on some Selena Gomez’s Hands to Myself, or Arianna Grande’s Dangerous Woman and have an all out dance party in my apartment. Sometimes in costume.

So, I get it. It’s important to love yourself.
But body positivity…
This is a topic where things get…complicated.
You see, recovering from anorexia is something that you almost cannot put into words.
First, mentally – it is a life long battle. The sheer abhorrence of self that led to the symptoms of anorexia (i.e.: the weight loss) must be overcome in order to fully recover. So for starters, you have to silence the voice of ED in your head that is constantly tearing you down with insults that would make an inmate blush.

But then, there’s the physical.
Going from 78 pounds to a healthy weight — the changes your body makes are so, just, inexplicable. You would think that the things like, filling out your jeans or not being gaunt and skeletal, would be the biggest things you notice. But in fact, that’s not the case. Things like, squeezing your hand into a ball and feeling more flesh on your knuckles. Walking barefoot and not feeling your heel bones ache against the tile. Making a facial expression and not feeling your skin tighten because it was stretched so thin. These were the types of changes that I would fixate on.
I had literally scrutinized every centimeter of my body. So believe me when I say that I knew the changes that were going on in my body.
But back to body positivity.
Knowing these changes I was going through, one would think that body positivity was how I got through it. That by falling in love with my new and healthy body was how I overcame the disease.
Well…That could not be farther from the truth.
And unpopular opinion alert: body positivity was not even on my radar at all.
Eventually, did I learn to love and accept my body? Sure – it’s still a journey, but I’m getting there.

But how I did it, was that I stopped focusing on my body at all.
That’s the thing about Body Positivity Week — it’s still focusing on our physical bodies. Obsessing over how much we love the imperfections and curves and “handfuls of lovin'” at one spot or another.
OK. That’s great.
But the way I learned to love my body was to stop focusing on my body.
I had to stop scrutinizing every 0.2 ounces that fluctuated on the scale. Stop meticulously surveying how this or that looked today. How something had changed, or grown, or gotten _____er or ______er overnight. Stop comparing my body, even in a healthy mindset, to other friends, family members, models, actors, people on the street. I had to just stop focusing on it.
I had to stop seeing myself through my distorted and irrational eyes.
I had to see myself through God’s eyes.
I had to see myself through the eyes of my Creator, who loves me unconditionally. And, even though I have done all of this crap, when He sees me, sees only a precious daughter, who has value and worth, just for being His.

His love for me could be classified as radical.
Radical: affecting the fundamental nature of something.
My fundamental nature was that I was broken. And spoiler alert, we all are in one way or another.
But I was broken. I had lied, manipulated people, destroyed my body purposefully, hated myself, was angry, selfish, self-centered.
God loved me despite all of those things. His love was radical. It changed me. Changed my fundamental nature. It took what was broken and made it new.
So in order to heal from my anorexia, I had to be radical with my body, too. And radically accept it.
And to do that, I had to stop focusing on it.
I kept my eyes on Him, not on the mirror.
I kept my thoughts on His love, His mercy, His forgiveness – not on how I feel about my body.

Do I celebrate my body every day? Yes.
Do I appreciate my health and life and recovered body every day? You bet your A.
But not because I want to say, “screw the media and its unhealthy standards of beauty.”
No.
I celebrate my body because I celebrate the soul that is in it.
The soul that was broken and then restored by a good and loving Father. That interior transformation is reflected in the outer transformation.
And that transformation comes from one source: Him.

So, sure. Body Positivity Week – it’s a nice sentiment. We should love and celebrate all shapes and sizes. That’s absolutely, 100% true.
But for me, it’s more than that. I don’t want to just celebrate my body. I want to celebrate He who restored my body. I want to celebrate the transformation He facilitated — mind, spirit, and yes…body.


I’ll take you up on that bet. I’ll bet you one of my A’s (high school, I guess, since college turned out different–hey, I’ll bet you one of my A’s for my first semester of college–yea, then I was STILL perfect, before schizophrenia–do you know I thought for awhile I was Eve reborn??? Anyway…) I forgot what we were talking about…
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Hi Daniel…I guess I’m a little in the dark here, but I don’t know what bet you’re talking about! Sorry!
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Oh, sorry. You said something betting an A. I read that somewhere your post. I’m sorry. I’m picking on the detail. I guess ’cause I’m a detail person. That’s why I like to count the number of words I use…Sorry, I don’t what the prize is here that we’re betting on. I was just willing to lose one of those A’s.
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Haha oh gotcha!
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You can have the Calculus A if you want. I don’t think I’m ever going to use it.
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lol oh gosh yeah calculus….🙄🙈 or physics!
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I think you meant ‘Ass’ not ‘A’. I’m sorry, but not really.
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😬
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Yea, I think I’ll keep my physics A. I had Jack Weyland the author as a teacher and uhh…he’s the author of that story CHARLY that was made into a movie. That was a pretty good movie, so…I might hang on to that A. Sorry. Good thing you didn’t use my mom’s word “Bumb” and said “B”. I don’t have a lot of those to give away.
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cool!
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Weyland made the weirdest questions for his physics exams, I swear! Especially the final. Clowns and skyscrapers combined in the same physics problem. Yea, it was kinda weird. So was Captain Calculus, but I thought it was neat! He turned into a superhero just to help us with the calc since it was “calc-based” physics. It’s like they say, You’re not in Kansas, anymore with Calc-based physics. It’s not your high school physics course, anyway. I’m sorry. I am an ass. I’m glad you brought it up.
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👍
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You really oughta check out the sign on my door. You probably wouldn’t knock after you read it, anyway. You could just show up, look at the sign, and go home. I wouldn’t even know you were here. I tried to post the picture of it on my blog post about it, but for some reason the witchcraft I cast on it wouldn’t allow it to copy. Weird!!!
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I’m sorry, Beebs. Did I scare you? It’s all self-taught. It’s just that when my wife left me, I started doing weird things to bring her back–and they worked. Not permanently, of course!
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I love the post! With my Trichotillomania EVERYONE asked about “why don’t you have eyelashes?”
I tried over and over to stop, became so worried about how few eyelashes I had left that if I accidentally pulled some because they itched I would rush to the mirror to see the damage I had done. People tried making fun of me as if shaming would do anything, my parents threatened me with therapy to which I had no desire going, and we lastly tried everything like getting a rubber band and slapping your wrist with it every time “the urge” came on me.
I have been working on me as of late, only thing we can do right? But… as with riding a car or a bicycle… we have to look ahead to not crash. Focus on God, on His true love, and worship… prayer… all the time.
Some people may get annoyed with how much I quote Louie Giglio but I have been watching the Comeback series on their church’s website- passioncitycurch.com. He said when we worship we do not have room for worries or stress and vice versus.
We are simply not capable of both at the same time.
Now, the way I do my makeup as a result of having plucked all my eyelashes though? That is me- my style. People now recognize it as that and unique… another unique thing about me… And they view me as beautiful. It throws me sometimes because I never really saw it, but I know I have my identity in Christ.
It allows me equally as unique, a particular niche to whom I can reach out. Keep it up and God bless!
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Oh, and as I write this Wonderfully Made by Matthew West came up on my radio station… Coincidences eh?
God never makes a mistake- you are wonderfully made.
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Haha oh that’s so awesome! No, never a coicindence! I love that song!! xoxo
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Hi friend, thank you so much for sharing this. I’m so glad you’ve found identity in Christ. What a powerful thing. Whether anorexia or trichotillomania, the healing power of Jesus is the same. He will overcome! Thanks for reading! Hope you’re having a beautiful week. hugs and love xox
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It is wonderful that you have recovered from anorexia by stopping focusing on your body and instead focusing on God’s love for you. When I was in treatment for bulimia they said I would know when I was in complete recovery because I no longer cared what size I was. I am still not at that level of recovery as I want to be thin, but I am not risking a fatal heart attack 3 times a day by making myself sick on large quantities of cocaine. Your faith is so strong – it must help you so much. As I’ve said before I am going through a spiritual crisis and don’t know whether I believe in God anymore.
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I’m am so glad that you’re no longer risking that either. I’m sorry you’re going through that crisis. For me personally, I don’t want to even think about where I would be had not God rescued me from myself. Sending love friend. Remember how far you’ve come and celebrate that ❤️
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[…] via Body Positivity Week??? — BeautyBeyondBones […]
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Thank you so much for the share! It really means a lot 🙂 Hugs and love xox
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Testimony is the most powerful way to attract those within your scope. Thank you!! XOX
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Hi Richard! Thank you so much! gosh, that really means a lot. Thanks for the encouragement. So glad you stopped by! hugs and love xox
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I really loved this post, thank you for sharing. I myself have to learn to see myself through God’s eyes and not my own distorted eyes. It has also been a log process for me to learn to love myself because I am His creation, that I am loved by Him and that He knows me better than I know myself. Thanks again.
– Heidi
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Hi Heidi! Thank you so much for this reflection. Amen to that- we are His creation. His beautiful and loved creation. What a comfort in that thought! So glad you stopped by! Have a beautiful day! Hugs and love xox
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Can I just say how much I love this? I have always had a strange relationship with the whole body positive movement. It seems like instead of focusing on being thin, the focus has just shifted to loving your curves or your muscles or whatever, but the body is still the focus. Like you, I have watched my body change from 78 pounds (exactly, weird, huh?) to a much healthier weight. As my body changed and continues to change, I keep my eyes on Jesus and not my body. I have to remember daily that my value does not come from how I look or what I weigh but from the fact that I belong to Christ. I am very glad that I ran across your blog; It has been a huge blessing to me:-)
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Hi Erin! Oh my gosh thank you so much for this incredibly encouraging comment. I’m sorry we have that past that we have in common, but praise God we have both found healing and freedom in Christ. I’m so glad our paths crossed too! Have a beautiful evening my friend. Hugs and love xox
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“But I was broken. I had lied, manipulated people, destroyed my body purposefully, hated myself, was angry, selfish, self-centered.” <– The root cause of your ED was self-loathing? Or your ED led to self-loathing? This is a fascinating insight because I know someone who might have an ED and I'm curious if self-loathing might be the root…
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And nice post by the way
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☺️ hehe thank you! Always good to “see” your face pop up on here! Xox
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hahaha thank you thank you I took it the picture myself 😉
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👍☺️❤️❤️❤️
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Hi MM! So glad you stopped by! Hugs and love xox
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Beautifully said! I agree. You’re an amazing example of focusing on the right things.
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Hi Camis! Oh my gosh what a kind thing to say! Thank you. God is good! Glad you stopped by! Hugs and love xox
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Let’s hear it for radical!!!!!! *whistles and claps* :D:D:D
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haha yeahhhh radical!! 🙂 🙂 🙂 thanks for stopping by! have a beautiful evening! xox
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This! All.Day.Long.
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aw, thank you so much Sierra! So glad you enjoyed it! sending you a big big hug! xox
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There is nothing better to celebrate about you than YOU!!!! You are beautiful inside and out just as God made you to be. You are so right. F$%^ the media, but its not worth worrying over either. Your body, but also your mind, your heart, and your soul are to be celebrated and beautiful is the way to describe all of them. Mad love, biggest hugs, and God Bless!! xoxoxoxo
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Hi Migueltio! Thank you so much for this encouragement and the mad love and hugs 🙂 hehe you’re so right — there is so much more to celebrate. thanks for the spot of sunshine! big hugs back atcha!
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You are sunshine all over NYC!!!
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haha thanks!!! 🙂 🙂 🙂
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🙂 🙂 🙂
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Another well-balanced post…
Beautiful just like you—inside and out! 🙂 ♥ ❤
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Aw, thank you so much! That really means a lot 🙂 so glad you stopped by! hope you’re having a great night! hugs and love xox
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It is interesting the things that you noticed about yourself and your body. Such as your hand and the flesh on the knuckles rather than the other parts of the body that are so media scrutinized.
It reminds me of when I lost 60 lbs, on purpose through methodical diet and exercise. When I became my average weight, people asked me what my favorite part was about losing the weight. I said, “Being able to bend over and tie my shoes.” Yes, my face was no longer a bowling ball. My gut was no longer huge. I was able to wear size 34 jeans again, rather than size 40. The most important thing to me was just being able to bend over and tie my shoes.
Maybe it doesn’t relate to what your saying but it brought the memory to mind.
Wonderful post. Again, I love how you take an image based subject and bring it to a Spirit based subject, which all things are based one.
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thank you so much Matthew, I’m so glad this resonated with you. Wow, what an incredible accomplishment. Congratulations! You’re right – it’s things that people may not think that have the biggest impact. Thanks for your kind words and continued readership. it really means a lot. hugs and love xox
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Thank you for sharing your powerful experiences, and your beautiful faith. I always enjoy reading about your faith and how you are overcoming your ED. Your experiences and thoughts are universal in many ways. Hugs and love back to you. 🙂
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❤️❤️❤️
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I know that most people have some sort of negative feelings about their bodies, they either want to be taller, shorter, more muscular, thinner, better nose, mouth, eyes, that’s why the cosmetic surgery industry and I do mean industry are raking it in. I am so glad that you have gained a positive view. One of the worries people have as they age is whether their mate will love them when they are older and wrinkled or fatter. It’s a funny thing that I noticed as I have gotten older, people are just more attractive if they like themselves and are comfortable within their own skin about who they are. That is because, usually, those people are much happier and at peace, easier to be around…they are comfortable with themselves and so they have more room in their hearts to accept other people and whatever flaws they may have. I have to agree that keeping yours eyes on God or having “God tunnel vision” allows you to focus on more important things than yourself. If you see yourself and the world through God’s eyes then you see it much more clearly. We all get old, saggy and wrinkled (if we are blessed to live that long)….true beauty is not on the outside, but on the inside. I find that there is nothing more beautiful than a person who is telling about how they came to know God, or what God has done in their life, or inspired them to do for others! I really enjoyed this blog entry, and I hope a lot of people read it who need to be uplifted about their body beliefs!
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Thank you so much for this beautiful reflection, Charlene. It really mean a lot and you have so much wisdom here! God tunnel vision … i like that! You’re so right – with His lens, we can see things a WHOLE lot more clearly! Thanks for stopping by! hugs and love xox
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Amen! Well said, young lady. It’s all about Christ-consciousness over self-consciousness. That’s where real transformation happens!
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Hi Vanessa! Thank you so much for this response. You’re so right! Christ consciousness-I love that term. So so true. Thanks for reading! Hugs and love xox
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Got it from one of my favorite preachers. He’s taught me so much about living in the light of God’s grace , personified in Jesus…Its my honor to read your posts!
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Wow thank you again xox
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You say some really important things. Most especially to place our focus on the love that God has for each of us which goes well beyond just what we see. Thanks for the reminder!
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Hi Richard! Oh thank you so much! I’m really glad this resonated with you. Amen to that. God is good! Thanks for reading ! Hugs and love xox
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Wonderful! Amazing! Thank you!
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Thanks AS 🙂 I really appreciate your continued readership. It’s always good to “see” your face! Hugs and love xox
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Blessings!
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❤️❤️❤️
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Fantastic read! This is kind of a weird off shoot but while reading I couldnt help but think how its, the body positive thing, pushing a denial of reality of health both thin and heavy, and that the majority of media personality show nothing to support it them selves by way of hiring heavy women or men, or if they do, they go on diets. Kind of a lie wrapped in pretty packaging. Feel good stuff with no basis in reality.
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Thank you so much for this perspective. You’ve brought up some really thought provoking things! You’re right. It’s kind of a catch 22. Glad you stopped by! Hugs and love xox
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fix your eyes on the author and finisher of your faith, yes well written indeed…I find that when I am focused on God the rest follows, I take care of the temple (body) (workout, lift weights, shower, etc.) because it’s where He dwells and it’s my earth suit…that is how I look at the outward now, be the best version of myself I can through the eyes of the Father…
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Hi friend! Thanks for this reflection. You’re so so right-it’s our earth suit! So we’ve been entrusted with it to take care of it. What a great way to look at it. Hope you have a beautiful night. Hugs and love xox
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Beautiful. You’re like my own online devotional. You have a way with words. 😊
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Thank you so much! Oh my gosh that so kind of you to say! I’m so glad you enjoy my posts! Sending hugs and love xox
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It funny that you wrote this awesomeness because my family and I have been discussing bodies lately (we had no idea it was BoPo week) anyway we talked about focusing on our spirit rather than our body and she related that with her Lupus she only can feel good about herself and life when she remembers that she is not her body but a spirit housed inside. That focus plus a deep connection with God is the best path to loving yourself regardless of looks, health, and ability. Thanks for sharing!
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Thank you so much for this beautiful reflection. You’re so right-we are bodies housing spirits. What a powerful perspective. Thanks for reading! Sending so much love xox
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My struggle is the opposite: trying to lose wright. I have been a chucky child, slimmed down teen and overweight adult. I went down to a size 6 and now back to a 12/14ish. My body image has changed a lot. I’m constantly trying to be happy with the body I have. It’s hard but like you said, the Lord blessed me with it and I have with what I’ve got. It’s all about lifestyle changes for me.
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Hi friend! Thank you for sharing this. Lifestyle changes can be challenging but you’ve got the right mindset: the Lord has blessed us abundantly with these amazing bodies! Thanks for reading and sharing your heart! Hugs and love xox
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I really like your post – you have such a real experience of being God’s beloved, which is encouraging to me.
Are you familiar with Julie Miller, a singer/songwriter? I thought of two of her songs while reading your post: 1) Speed of Light and 2) Broken Things. I’d love to hear what you think of them.
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Hi there DW! Hmm I haven’t heard of her but I’ll definitely check them out! Thanks for passing them along! Hugs and love xox
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I love this post and agree – the key is to behold His beautiful face and stop looking at ourselves. Thanks for the reminder! A continual work in progress.
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Thank you so much! Amen to that. His beautiful face is what we should fix our eyes on. So well put. Thanks for stopping by! Hugs and love xox
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I literally have been thinking about just the exact same thing . The point about recovery is not focusing on our bodies or food. It’s about God and His incredible Fatherly love for us. You encompassed it in such a beautiful, Christ like way. I see Jesus’ and His incredible love that saves us alone, by His sacrifice, in you. ❤
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Hey Em! Oh my gosh, you have absolutely brought a tear to my eye. Thank you for such a beautiful reply. You are so right. His love is incredible and it is 100% because of Him that I am free of ED. To him be the glory. So grateful for you, my friend. So glad you stopped by and shared your heart tonight. Sending a big big hug xox
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another excellent post
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Thank you so much david! So glad you enjoyed it 🙂 thanks for stopping by! hugs and love xox
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[…] Source: Body Positivity Week??? […]
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Thanks so much for the link up! Hugs and love xox
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Well said as usual.
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Thank you so much:) So glad you enjoyed it! Hugs and love xox
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BoPo? Honestly, I’ve never considered it for myself. I do like the points you bring out about it though. I’ve always been fairly good looking. I don’t say this in a braggadocious way because it’s not that way at all. Like you, I tend to work on my Spirit and the body part just reflects what is put in.
To accept a body all frumpy seems wrong, and to focus on it in an extreme manner seems equally so. So like you, It’s best to focus on Christ. He must be good looking. Focus here produces a healthy inner and outer glow. I definitely like the results.
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Thank you so much for this reflection. You’re so right – an inner and outer glow indeed is produced when we focus on Him. So true! Thanks for stopping by! hope you have a wonderful weekend! hugs and love xox
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Definitely looking forward to this weekend. Have a good one yourself!
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❤️❤️❤️
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BODY POSITIVITY WEEK!!!! Do you mean the media promoting something disguised as Body Positivity Week? Because I live in Australia and we don’t have this, so I would have to ask the source of this promotion and then say to myself it is God that created this body and He is the only one that can heal it and give me a positive attitude because it’s not “BODY POSITIVITY WEEK’ s ” to give.
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Hi my Australian friend! ☺️ you’re right-He is the ultimate healer. I’m not sure who the official source of bopo week is–I think it’s buzzfeed, but I could be wrong. But one things for sure: God is the artist of my body and I should celebrate that fact every single day! Thanks for stopping by! Hugs and love xox
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Hello gorgeous, beauty comes from within and you have it in buckets full. Loves and kisses to you too.
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Thank you again ❤️❤️❤️❤️☺️
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I really appreciated this post because while I have not ever had an ED (and wow can I justI say I am so blessed by how God had transformed you! ), as a woman I am so done with body positivity (because it’s always aimed at woman). I do actually love my body (mostly), but most days I just dont. Even. Think. about. It. God created me wonderfully, but my body is more than being attractive or being beautiful. its a vessel of strength to work in the kingdom. Thank you for working in the kingdom too.
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Hi Juanita! Oh my gosh thank you for this beautiful comment. You’re absolutely right. Our bodies are vessels of strength to work in the kingdom. I love that perspective. Thanks for stopping by! Hugs and love xox
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Love the image that says “to heal a wound you have to stop touching it”
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Thank you so much! I’m so glad you like it! Making those is a bit of a labor of love, but I really do enjoy it:) Thanks for stopping by! hugs and love xox
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How come we only celebrate something for a week? Bodies, love, candy, broccoli…? It’s like we (society as a whole) keeps darting around from tree to tree like a dog marking his territory! We need to walk up a gentle slope, sit down, and look back at the incredible beauty of the whole forest, field and stream; all things we miss when we just keep p***ing up the wrong tree(s).
But that’s what you do so well, why so many people flock to you articles, You celebrate the whole thing every day! Well done!
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Hi Jeff! My goodness…you paint such a beautiful picture with your words, here, my friend. thank you for this powerful perspective. You’re right – we need to be more reflective on the whole, instead of darting around. Great great point. Thanks for stopping by and sharing your wonderful insight! have a great weekend! hugs xox
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Glad it does something for you! But I assume you’re talking about the vista and not the dogs. 🙂
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Hahaha❤️❤️❤️
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Great take on this!
I find myself on the fence about body positivity… I guess I get it. But, screw this culture so focused on outer appearances that it uses appearances to judge someone’s worth! This culture is broken. We are broken whenever we let its messages cause us to doubt our true worth in Christ.
In Christ, we aren’t broken. So, no need to go on a body positivity rant, right?
My body is useful. It brought 4 children into the world. It is strong. Stronger than most (I’ve been told I should take up Olympic weightlifting. But, I digress…) My body is not beautiful in and of itself. One day, not too far in the future, it will start the process of dying, and end up returning to the state of mere elements.
My body is not who I am. It is WHERE I am right now.
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Hi friend, thank you for this wonderful reflection. you’re so right – we DO have immeasurable worth in Christ. We aren’t broken in Him at all. And wow, four children – that is so beautiful. You ARE strong!! hugs and love xox
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An excellent, healthy, and oh-so-true perspective! Thank you so much for sharing; it’s very encouraging! Continued blessings to you!
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Hi there! oh thank you so much for these kind words. So glad you stopped by! hugs and love xox
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Good point! So many times, all these special set aside days and weeks like “Body Positivity,” though they mean well, end up so skewed, and end up focusing on or setting apart EXACTLY the things they’re mean to get over. It’s a fallen world, my friend, that is looking behind every door but the right one. Glad you found the right One. Now go dance! LOL
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Hi Lisa! Thank you so much for this encouragement. You’re so right – the world is fallen, but praise God for His saving and healing power, no matter what! Such a comforting thought. And yes! Dance on!!! 😉 hugs and love xox
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[…] https://beautybeyondbones.com/2016/05/12/body-positivity-week/ […]
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Thank you so much for the link up! I’m glad you enjoyed it! Hugs and love xox
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“I had to see myself through the eyes of my Creator, who loves me unconditionally. And, even though I have done all of this crap, when He sees me, sees only a precious daughter, who has value and worth, just for being His.”
Perrfect. Spot on. If only we all embraced that truth we would be totally content and whole. In the beginning God. In the middle God. In the end God. Somehow we become fixated on ourselves and lose our moorings. God created us for fellowship with Him and out of that relationship flows love, joy, hope, purpose, sanity, wisdom, everything. Again, thank you for pursuing your calling to tell your story. It is bread crumbs leading to Jesus!♡♡♡
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Hi Jan! My goodness, thank you for this beautiful comment. You’re so right: we need God, beginning, middle and end. That is 100% true. Thanks so much for being such a wonderful source of kindness and encouragement. it really means a lot 🙂 sending big hugs! (and thanks again for the link shout out!) oxoxox
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You’re welcome!♡♡♡
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❤️❤️❤️
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[…] Source: Body Positivity Week??? […]
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Thanks for the link up Jan! I appreciate it! Hugs and love xox
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This is an excellent take on the whole body image issue. Thank you for sharing your testimony, and pointing it all back to God as well! I get so frustrated with this topic because the idea of “body positivity” doesn’t solve anything, and like you said, keeps everyone still focused on the body. I was so frustrated when “All About That Bass” came out, too, because it completely disregards the fact that that thin women, even extremely healthy women, struggle with body image, too. So thank you for speaking out and putting things in perspective!
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Hi Rebecca! Thank you for this great reflection. You’re right – focusing on our bodies and making them a trophy of sorts is focusing on the wrong thing. I totally agree. Thanks for the encouragement and taking the time to read! hugs and love my friend xox
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‘I will be gentle with myself today’…thank you for writing that!
On Thu, May 12, 2016 at 7:00 PM, BeautyBeyondBones wrote:
> beautybeyondbones posted: “Well, in case you didn’t know, it’s “Body > Positivity Week.” Yep, thanks to BuzzFeed, we’re being bombarded with > full-frontal content about Forget-You-I-Love-My-Curves, and NGAFudge-ing > about what anyone thinks about our cellulite, and Dag-Nabit I’m weari” >
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Thank you so much Annie! Glad you liked it:) hugs and love xox
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I love your posts more than any other bloggers posts. Really, I understand. Nobody thinks a “young girl” (like me) would actually understand something
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Thanks Mary Louise! That really means a lot. I’m so glad you enjoy them 🙂
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So complicated, but I do. 🙂 Beauty is on the inside, and sometimes the outside, but we should really focus on what beauty we have on inside. Xox, ML
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You’re so right. It’s the inside beauty that really is meaningful. true true true: that’s where we need to focus. so glad you stopped by! hugs xox
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Love this! Amen and amen. Thanks for sharing this. ❤
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Thanks Loren! Aw I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Hope you have a terrific weekend! Hugs and love xox
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I love this and I totally agree. The point of body positivity, I would think, is to not only accept ourselves but to realize that we are so much more than just our bodies. One of the reasons societal standards can be so dangerous isn’t just because it focuses on an unrealistic image of beauty, but because it puts so much focus on beauty and looks in the first place.
Further I would say that, not all, but a lot of body positivity shames women who are skinny, saying that they are not ‘real women.’ I understand the idea behind it and I think some body activists definitely have the right message. But most of it just contradicts itself.
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Hi Chelsea! Thank you so much for this great reflection. I think you’re really into something here – we are so so much more than our bodies! Thanks for stopping by! Hope you have a wonderful weekend! Hugs and love xox
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That was absolutely the best I’ve read, no wonder you have such a following. I don’t know exactly what I wrote in my posts that earned your likes but you nailed it with this one, how it feels to rebuild body image after breast cancer. This brought tears to my eyes, I wasn’t prepared for. It really is hard to face a mirror and your inner self until the realization that you don’t have to prove anything to God. For me it was a huge relief.
You really get it. Thanks for acknowledging and sharing your inner side, because you choose to be honest.
Write on girl!
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Hi Trish! Wow thank you so much for this beautiful comment. It really means a lot. I’m so glad it resonated with you. You’re so right, you don’t have to prove anything to God. So glad you stopped by. Have a beautiful day 🙂
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I also didn’t do all that hype.. and my recovery results have been lasting. ♡
Funny I didn’t even know about all the media hype now. I kind of don’t listen anymore. There was a quieting for me that happended when I went looking for Mt true self. Then the body respect came quite naturally. It’s shocking really.
Much love to you.
— Laurie
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Hi Laurie! Thank you for Beautiful perspective. That’s so great that you don’t listen to the hype. Finding your true self is the greatest thing you’ll ever do. Thanks for reading. Hugs and love XOXO
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♡not that I don’t care deeply of course. I just know it isn’t so helpful. Hugs🤗
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❤️❤️❤️
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This was amazing as usual! Do you do any motivational speaking? If not, you should. 🙂
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Thank you so much! Oh my gosh that is a dream of mine! Thanks for the encouragement! You made my day! Hugs and love xox
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Def think it’s s a something you should pursue. You are gifted, girl!
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Thanks again ❤️❤️❤️
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We are right on the same page 😀
I’ve been saying for forever (okay not really but it seems like a long time, alright!) the more you focus on your problem…the more power that problem’s gonna have over you. Maybe it’s a drug addiction, or a porn addiction, or a pain addiction. Or maybe it’s not a “problem”, maybe it’s just a “thing”, like your body…or an empty bank account.
I’ve been listening to this really great speaker named Leif Hetland and his wife Jennifer and he says a lot when you focus on the “thing” it’s a problem, but when you focus on Daddy father and know who he is and know how much he loves you and how big his wallet is….boom. “Problem” becomes “Promise”. Problems, addictions, enemies, empty bank accounts – promises! When the Israelites were standing by the sea shore and Pharoah’s army was charging in God didn’t say ‘Hey guys, look at what’s coming up behind you, you better run through this path I’m about to make in the ocean,’ no he said ‘Stand still, look at what I’m about to do and KNOW I am GOD’. Boom – ocean opens up. We become what we behold.
And to put it a little more personally… I became addicted to pornography when I was around 11. And I tried and I tried and I begged and pleaded with God to just…take it all away, take these filthy disgusting desires and throw them in the deepest sea, and I tried courses and filters and accountability partners and there was no way. Big Problem with a capital P. He told me two things over the years; first, ‘My grace is sufficient for you – my power works best in your weakness’ and second, ‘It’s not about your purity, son…it’s about Mine.’ And then…I learned to look at him, and to focus on his finished perfected work, Christ-in-me-the-hope-of-glory… And I haven’t been able to surrender every part of my life or all my triggers but, when I focus on his perfect purity instead of my imperfect brokenness, suddenly I begin to become a little bit like what I’m looking at.
So thanks as always for sharing! Blessings (:
P.S.: I’m so with you on all those articles that just propagate negativity so so much. I’m glad yours make a dent in that tidal wave (:
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Hey Carson! Thank you so much for sharing this. What a powerful testimony. You’re right-when we focus on Him and His goodness and purity and grace, we can overcome anything. I’m so glad that you’ve found that freedom in Christ. So glad you stopped by this afternoon! Have a great night! Hugs xox
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Great post 🙂 Although it is great to be body proud, it is made ten times better when one realizes how happy one is just to be alive and happy 🙂 Anyway, keep up the great work as always 🙂
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Hey john! Thank you so much. You’re so right- how grateful we should be to be alive and happy! Thanks for stopping by! Hugs and love my friend xox
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