For most of my life, I’ve measured my worth by my appearance. The stranger who sexually abused me sealed that deal.
At one point during the encounter, he forced me to look at magazines with naked women, pointing out what made them beautiful… and it effectively etched into my mind what the “ideal” woman looked like.
While I was only 4-years-old — an innocent child — I decided that without the right curves here, the tautness there, and perkiness in other places… I would be worthless.
Problem is, I’ve never had the right combination of those things.
Maybe you haven’t either.
Think about it… where did the body image tangle start for you?
~ Was it because a parent made it the focus of their acceptance of you?
~ Did marketers and advertisers do their job to convince you that appearance mattered most?
~ Did you learn to use your beauty to get what you wanted?
~ Can the digits of the scale determine the tone of your day?
~ Is someone in your life quick to point out the places you don’t measure up — and you keep trying to?
~ Have you set you unrealistic standards for yourself?
Here’s truth: The number on the scale or the size of your clothes can’t measure the size of your heart, the complexity of your character, or the depth’s of God’s love for you.
And when you let anything but your Creator determine how much you matter, you’ll stay tangled forever.
It’s truths like this I unpack in my book, Untangled.
… It’s not a self-help book.
… It’s not a “5-simple-steps-and-you’re-healed” game plan.
… It’s not a book where we sit in victim-mode and complain about life.
Nope.
Untangled is my journey with God to loosen knots of insecurity — like body image — that have kept me from living with self-confidence and believing I had worth as a woman.
And for you… It’ll be a reminder that you’re not alone. Because I’m learning the struggle with insecurity is universal, and it knits us together as women.
In its pages, your eyes will be opened to the tangles we face as women, and I’m praying that God will reveal the ones knotting YOU up right now.
But this book won’t fix you.
Instead, it will point you to the One who can.
And today, Untangled is available everywhere books are sold!
Want a FREE copy of my book?
Leave a comment below with your favorite scripture for when those tangles start to tighten.
Winner will be announced on my Carey Scott Talks Facebook page on Friday, June 5th!
I’ve really been struggling with this. My go-to scripture is Psalm 139:14 “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”
For us as women our weight can consume us. And it does!! It’s exhausting and never ending. It is a battle and we therefore need a battle plan. The enemy knows our triggers and for many of us weight is a huge one. I learned I needed to have a plan in the physical for my weight (and weight – loss) but for a long time I skipped the most important plan – to ask God “His” plan. He wants us to draw closer to Him. He wants to help us. He wants to restore and redeem our wounded images. It’s a beautiful partnership to learn to love yourself through God’s eyes in the midst of trying to lose weight!!
2 Corinthians 10:5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
I keep reminding my self of Romans 8:29. “For those He foreknew, He predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son…” So, when I meet Him, I will be like Him, but without the fat!
Two scriptures that were instrumental in my ONGOING transformation…
Psalm 139:14 “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”
Colossians 3:23 “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men”.
Always had body image issues…always taller and bigger than everyone I knew. Struggled until having babies. Interestingly enough…I was on maternity leave, heavy from pregnancy, struggling with my new life as a mom watching Oprah. She planted the first seed of my mental transformation…while giving her testimony of her body image issues she said it took me 50 years to realize it about being HEALTHY. It is not about a number, it is not about your pant size, it is not about being skinny like the chick next to you. It is just about being HEALTHIEST you.
From that…I continued to evolve. Reading and pondering this issue of my body. Really…what is it for??? My journey continued to slowly slog along until a visit from a speaker at our church. His message was finding your light and letting it shine bright. Something so simple, something I had heard more than once but something I finally heard. I said to my mother in law on the way home…I don’t have a light! She scoffed at me and said honey your light is bright just maybe not focused. After months of praying, I started to find ways to focus that light letting it shine brighter and brighter. One of those ways was serving women in an exercise class at church. From that continued service, it became clearer and clearer to me. I became less and less tangled. Focusing my eyes on God it became about being healthy, being strong both physically and mentally so that I can shine my light and serve Him. Whether that is in my exercise class or whether that is in my daily life chasing after three precious boys, it does not matter. Each of us is here to serve in different ways but without physical health it is so much harder for that gift from God to blaze brightly!!! Let it shine girls!!! You are wondrously made!!!
I’m looking forward to reading your book so much! Sometimes I feel completely paralyzed by my insecurities and fear. So this is my go-to verse: Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
Im so looking gorward to this new book! Being tangled up in myself is by far the hardest thing to overcome!
Michelle… YOU ARE THE WINNER of the FREE copy of Untangled! Please email me at [email protected] with your address so I can send the book to you! Congrats!
Thank you for letting God speak through you in touching on much needed subject!! One of my favorite verses is Isaiah 49:16……”I have engraved you on the palms of my hands.” What an amazing comfort that is to know! Can’t wait to read your book!!