Psalm 139...

I don't know how many who follow my posts believe in the Word of God, but I do and I had to go to the Bible today for guidance. Something has been bothering me a little........

We are about 13 days into the New Year, and all over the T.V., radio, and Internet we see advertisements for weight loss pills, diets, exercise programs, celebrity fitness tapes etc. Of course we are bombarded with these images this time of year because most of us resolve to "lose weight" in 2009. That is actually a resolution I dare to say is made by the majority of folks EVERY YEAR! :0 I don't have a problem with being healthy, I too strive to be healthy, although I constantly miss the mark. But what I do have a problem with is how most women have issues with their body. I am including myself in this number.

Over the past couple of weeks, I've also heard about Oprah and her weight gain. How she feels depressed, how she can't believe she let herself go, how she's embarrassed by her struggle with weight. I do feel Ms. O's pain, but do we really need to hear again how she gained weight after losing it all? Larry King even dedicated a whole hour to this "breaking news". In my opinion, Ms. O looks good. She's a 50+ woman, who realistically should not be expected to be a size 0. She is a woman of color who has curves. And I'm sure if you ask most African American men, they would say her curves are in all the right places. :)

Listening to a radio show I listen to daily, a woman writes in for advice as to whether or not she should get breast augmentation because her husband does not find her sagging breast attractive any more. This woman has had this man's children, and from what I gather has been a good wife to him. He also offered to pay for the operation. She said she wanted to be appealing to her husband, which I can totally understand, but she was afraid of going under the knife. How far do we have to go to keep our husbands attracted to us? Furthermore, what does he look like after 20+ years of marriage? I'm sure he is not what he used to be either. Newsflash: All women's breast begin to sag at some point! Unless of course the choice is made to get fake ones.

On a daily basis, I have conversations with my family and friends about weight issues, and what we don't like about ourselves. Some of those conversations are initiated by me, some of them are not, but I do add my two cents about what I just don't like about my body. When will it all end? I'm sick of myself at this point.

I guess my point in all of this is to check myself, and hopefully in the process, help others see that we are who we are, and we should love ourselves. We should strive to be healthy, but don't place a lot of effort in being a certain size or weight. This is a hard thing for me to do, and I'm sure it's hard for most women. We see images all day of women who look perfect. Perfect skin, hair, clothes, and shoes. I will not resolve to stop complaining about me because I know that most likely that won't happen, at least not right away. I won't even make a statement that I'll try to do better, because that always slaps me in the face too. I will say that I'm sick of myself and my complaints. I am surrounded by beautiful women. I may be a little biased, but it's true. I have friends and family members that are gorgeous. The problem is they don't see what I, and countless others see. All we see are imperfections. Maybe if I begin to love who I am, and my body in all my imperfections, it will rub off on those around me, and then it will rub off on those around them.

For those of us who believe, I leave you with this:
Psalm 139:13-18 (NKJV)
~For You have formed my inward parts; You have covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them. How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! how great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand; When I awake, I am still with You.~

If I am what this Scripture says I am, what is it going to take for me to believe it? If God thinks many precious thoughts of me, why do I think otherwise?

Sweet T