With the holidays here, sometimes I don’t generously love this body God has gifted me. As hearty snacks roll straight into lavish meals, shared around sparkly, festive tables, I have to keep myself in check. I am challenged to let go of the holiday habit of shaming my body. Rather, I am challenged to enjoy the feasting that pairs deliciously with December.
And when I do struggle, because I will, I remind myself that I am not alone. Many women struggle with the shame that comes with “too much eating and not enough exercising.”
As we drove down the last stretch of wheat-laced fields on Hwy 123 to Seguin last weekend, the radio DJ stated that she wished she “could scrape away the calories from her plate,” getting rid of the guilt that ensues with consuming too much pie at Thanksgiving. As I clicked through the internet last week, I viewed online diet-based programs giving their readers PERMISSION to partake in their family holiday meal. After all, it’s just “one day of cheating.”
Why do so many voices infer that enjoying the holiday meal we share with family and friends is somehow like bad behavior?
The voices that speak body shame can be gently silenced and replaced with a sweet gift. This gift has been passed down to some of us from loving, tender people who speak wisdom from the heart of God. But for some of us, this sweet gift is new. We have recently discovered it and are timid to open it, but we anticipate how it might bring us to hope. [Read more…] about The One Gift Every Woman Desires This Season
Photo credit to the woman who captured wit with a Sharpie, 