Our image and appearance matter to us, because the way we present ourselves on the outside is connected to who we are on the inside. But we have a choice, every day: will I let myself be pressured into trying to achieve impossible physical perfection? Or will I choose to be myself, to be who God created me to be? That choice is not always easy.

There are times when we feel we aren’t good enough. That we have to change for others to accept us. That maybe even then we still won’t live up to their expectations.

But God meets us where we are, and loves us as daughters and sons. Each one of us is valuable, unique, and beloved by God.

Our heavenly Creator loves us for who we are and always wants the best for us.

God cares about how deeply we love others, how we come to God with all of our insecurities and struggles, and how we continue to follow Christ through the way we live. It can be hard to remember this, because it is not the message we get so often from social media, or from people who choose to body shame others.

Every day, we are flooded with images telling us how we should look, putting pressure on us to achieve unattainable, false physical perfection. Many negative influences warp the way we see ourselves, and false narratives challenge what we know to be true. But each day we can try again.

We can choose to surround ourselves with genuine friends who love us as we are, and challenge us to grow, out of their desire for us to be who God made us to be. We can make sure that the accounts and influencers we follow online are going to build us up rather than tear us down. And on the days when maybe it all gets a bit much, we can seek out the advice of someone we trust who can help us to put things into perspective.

Be proud of who you are, and not ashamed of how someone else sees you. Love your body, love yourself!