How many of you know that our culture is obsessed with our bodies?
Through media and advertising, we’re constantly bombarded with our culture’s standards of “beauty.” What do these standards look like? For women, it’s usually a body that’s young, slim and curvy. For men, it’s usually a body that’s big, bulky and ripped.
How many of you have ever made the mistake of comparing your body with these impossible standards? I have. And whenever I do that, I feel totally flawed and completely inadequate.
Advertisers know this. That’s why they prey on our insecurities. The fitness and beauty industry is worth over a trillion dollars. Why? Because we’re obsessed with how our bodies look.
We believe that if we can make our bodies look younger, thinner and more attractive, then we’ll feel better about ourselves.
But You are more than your body. Your significance doesn’t come from your looks, your size or your fitness.
Our world will judge you on your appearance. But you are more than your body. Your identity doesn’t come from your appearance.
You are more than your body. But at the same time, you are not less than your body.
You and I are embodied beings. In other words, God made us to have bodies. Everything you do, you do through your body.
- You play and work through your body.
- You connect with people through your body.
- You think and experience the world through your body.
- You experience pleasure and pain through your body.
- You worship, serve and pray through your body.
But here’s the problem. When it comes to our body, people tend to fall into two extremes. Either they place too much importance on it – obsessing over their bodies. Or they place too little importance on it, neglecting the body to focus on spiritual things.
So what’s the proper way to understand your body? How can you appreciate the value of your body without falling into either extreme?
What I want to do today is look at what the Bible says about the body and how it relates to who we are.
