Letting go of what others think of you

Live2GlorifyHim

Just posted a blog on this and thought others might find it helpful...

Honoring God and Forgiving Myself:
So I have had a lot of challenges in my life to overcome, addictions, emotional abuse and bullying, financial difficulty, and my body. I struggled with these things for so much of my life. Overtime I was able to let the hurts go, let go of the addictions, and gain financial insight and wisdom to head towards a debt free future. Through this I have leaned on my salvation, my faith and relationship with Jesus Christ. Now I know it may seem odd to talk about my faith in correlation to this journey of weight loss, but to leave it out and separate it from my fitness and health goals would be a misrepresentation of who I am and who I used to be.

Every Sunday in church and every tearful frustrated conversation I have had with God has usually been rooted in someway to my weight. Even though I gained the weight long before I was saved (age of 20), I have felt that that my weight sits on me like a sin I can't escape from. I know God loves me no matter what I look like on the outside (1 Sam. 16:7) but we are supposed to treat our body like a temple and honor God with it (1 Cor. 6:19-20).

I know God has forgiven me for abusing my body for so long and filling it with junk, toxins, and gluttonous binges. However, I have still struggled with the feelings of shame whenever I stumbled on the journey.

Well, this time it is different. This time I feel renewed and set free from the shame and self-condemnation. I realize now that I was connecting how others perceived me and what they said about me to my own self-worth. This is where the sin lies! Letting the world's opinion conform my thoughts about myself instead of being transformed by the opinion of God.

In order to be free from this I had to let go of the condemnation and criticism I was receiving from people that I wanted to accept and love me for who I was. No matter how desperately I tried to make those people like me for me, they continued to only see me as an overweight person. They claimed the reason they wouldn't accept me and embrace me was all rooted in their opinion of me based on the fact that I was overweight. It wasn't until I finally accepted there was nothing I could do to change their opinion of me (EVEN IF I LOST THE WEIGHT) that I finally felt the break through come.

For so long I have wanted people to love me and accept me. I cared so much about what they thought, not realizing that this thought process is what put me in such a yo-yoing cycle of self hate and criticism.

Well, I’m moving on from this. I am in a healthy place, a great season, and I have a God who loves me for me. Each day is a commitment to reveal the true me I have hidden under the layers of hurt feelings and people pleasing for so many years.

Welcome to the new me. It has already begun!

thunt1990

Wow that was very inspirational. What a postive attitude you have. There is no way we could be on this journey without jesus right there with us.

teasha43

What you say is very true indeed:) I am happy for you that you have come to this realization with God. Far to often we tend to forget that the way we talk to and see ourselves is the worst betrayal of ourselves of all. Good luck on your journey, I am pleased to be on it with you! xo

Live2GlorifyHim

Thank you!

Yes. Honestly I believe that our opinions of ourselves and letting what others think of us effect us is a HUGE inhibitor in our journey to better health.

We have to remember that the transformation is not only on the outside!