Our kiddos see everything, hear everything, and soak everything up. We know that, but it is so easy to forget. Especially when we’re talking to our friends, and say those little things that we think don’t matter. We criticize our bodies. We talk about how we feel like we are not good enough. We pinch our stomachs, or shake our arms and watch the fat jiggle. We talk about how we need to lose that last 5 pounds, and how our thighs are too big, and how our pants don’t fit. How our mom bellies will never go back to the way we were before we had a child.

The truth is my daughter is watching. Our little girls are watching. She’s listening. They’re listening.

I had a conversation with two of my friends recently after a morning workout. We were discussing our post baby bodies and were all getting down on ourselves a bit. The conversation got me thinking and reminded me that I need to be more mindful about the words I speak. They are not just words. They are the fruit of a deep seeded insecurity that I feel when I am tying my self worth to my physical appearance.

Sometimes it’s easy to forget that my true identity is tied to who I am in Christ. I am His daughter. Beautiful and beloved. I am redeemed. The truth of the gospel frees me from trying to live up to some false ideal.

I need to allow Christ to do His work in my heart and help me break the chain of destructive thoughts and behavior! My family has a history of eating disorders that stretches back as far as anyone can remember. I want better for my daughter. I don’t want her to fall into that dark trap that will control her life and tear her down. When she looks at her thighs, I want her to see them as powerful and strong, not as something to be ashamed of.

I try to be very intentional about spreading body positivity around her, but sometimes those thoughts creep in, and if I don’t catch myself, those negative words creep out.

It takes a focused mindfulness. We need to retrain our brains to see ourselves in different light. We need to remember that it is the eternal, not the temporal, that matters. God gave us our bodies to glorify and serve him. Our bodies are a gift from Him. What we look like, or how expensive our clothes are doesn’t matter. What matters is our salvation, and who we are in Christ, and to him! We are children of the King! That reminds me of one of my favorite scriptures in the book of Isaiah.

“I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, My soul shall be joyful in my God; for He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, As a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorns herself with jewels.” Isaiah 61:10 NKJV

We must not forget that we were made by a wonderful, majestic God, and were created in His very own image. In Psalm 139 David praises God, saying “For You formed my inward parts, You covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” Psalm 139:13-14 NKJV

When I remember who made me, and why, it shifts my focus back to my true purpose and puts things back into perspective. Chasing beauty and putting an unhealthy focus in what’s in the mirror will never satisfy me. Only Christ satisfies.

The truth is that I want my daughter to be physically fit, and happy with how she looks. But I hope she exercises because of the way it makes her feel as much as because of how it makes her look! I want her to see food as fuel, and eat what makes her feel good and gives her energy so she will not just function, but flourish.

Beauty fades. Muscles soften. Firm skin sags. So what is left behind when we reach the point that we don’t care anymore? What’s the legacy we’ll leave behind? I want my daughter to remember the smiles, the forgiving, the loving, the sharing. The days we spend investing in others. I want her to do good things that nobody else ever will see, because it’s what Jesus would done. I want her to be his hands and feet.

Then one day, when I have passed away, and she is old and gray, she will spend her energy loving, serving, and living well. That is what I want for my daughter. That is what I want for me.

Jessica Hundley.jpg — Jessica Hundley

Founding member and current leader of the original Agape Moms based in Lithia, Florida. Jessica loves spending time with her husband Scott, and their toddler Haley Margaret. Jessica moved to Florida from Massachusetts five years ago, and never looked back! She loves sharing the good news about Jesus by telling others how the truth of gospel has radically changed her life.

Beloved and Beautiful