Today, I want to talk about having a more positive body image and what the Bible says about our images. In 2014, I discovered I had breast cancer in my right breast. I had a mastectomy on that side followed by reconstruction to treat my breast cancer. I don’t regret the decision as it was the best thing for me to do in my situation to protect my health. Even so, it was devastating. It also really challenged me to deal with negative feelings I have had about the way I look, not just in this situation, but also during other times in my life.
Surprisingly after surviving breast cancer, I also had a lot guilt surrounding those negative feelings about my body. I felt guilty over being upset about how I looked after losing a breast. I also felt guilty over the fact that I was worried about how I would look after reconstruction was complete. After all, I was alive when many women don’t survive or have to go through even more difficult cancer treatments. Being passed child-bearing age, I technically didn’t need my breast for its intended purpose of nursing too.
I learned, though, that I didn’t need to feel guilty about these natural feelings. It was okay to grieve the loss. After all, God created women to be feminine. He distinguishes us from men by that and the way we are shaped. However, it is certainly not good to stay in a place of grief. And it’s through this experience and relying on God’s truth about who I am that started a change in my attitude about how I viewed myself.
I now try to see my body, my image in a more positive light. Of course, there are times when I still struggle with my attitude towards the way I look. But here are some things I remember when the struggle arises:
We are made in God’s image. I’ve known this fact all my life. Yet, I’m not sure I ever took it to heart until I had breast cancer. I think we, as women, often compare the way we look with the way other women look, but we were not made in someone else’s image. We were made in God’s image. His perfect hand created us each in His image, yet each with unique features and attributes. The fact is that this world would be a pretty boring place if we all looked exactly the same.
A perfect God made you, and His creation is a beautiful masterpiece. Therefore, you are beautiful! Don’t let anyone else’s opinion of you or society standards ever make you think otherwise! God doesn’t, and His standards are way higher.
Do you ever notice how we each have our own definition of what we consider is pretty? There is definitely truth in the saying that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. One person’s opinion of what is pretty is often not another person’s opinion of pretty. I would love to have seen what Adam and Eve looked like in their perfect bodies before sin entered the world. I wonder if we would be surprised to find that they don’t look like what our society, the media, or even each of us today defines as beautiful.
We are all flawed in our bodies in different ways – each and every one of us. None of us are perfect in any way including how we look. I did not look perfect before my reconstruction surgery, and I do not look perfect now. But one day, we will have a new and wonderful heavenly body in which to dwell that’s free of sin, disease, and sickness.
If you are struggling with the physical scars from breast cancer or anything else, I encourage you to look at them as a sign of beauty and strength. You are an inspiration, and your story can be part of your witness for Christ. Remember our perfect Savior’s body was also scarred from being beaten and crucified on the cross. We look at His scars and see the beauty of His love, strength, and sacrifice for each of us.