This picture used to totally describe my mindset.
Okay, maybe not that extreme, but you get the point. I have seen this picture in the past and thought, 'Yes! So true!' My mindset has always been that you should never be satisfied-there is always something to improve, to tweak, to make bigger, to make smaller, or whatever. In fact, I've spent YEARS doing just that.
But lately my mindset has changed. My prayer now is that I will be satisfied.
Satisfied= contented; pleased.
Satisfied...even with a little more belly fat.
Satisfied....even with puny little calves.
Satisfied...even if I never have a big booty.
Satisfied....even with a flat chest without "enhancements".
Because you know what? None of those things really even matter, and I don't want to waste my life chasing after something that doesn't matter to God! When I stand before God one day to give an account of what I did with the health He gave me, I don't want to just say, "Well....I deadlifted 250 pounds and I built up some really good biceps."
I know I may sound like a broken record here, but I feel that people need to hear this, especially those of us in the fitness industry. It's so easy to get caught up in the comparison trap. I mean, who can blame us? We're constantly being bombarded on social media with photos of perfectly lean, ripped, (and often surgically enhanced) bodies.
It's hard not to look at ourselves and feel that we're not good enough, that we should work harder to look like that way, too. So because we're never satisfied with ourselves, we strive for perfection until it becomes an obsession, until all our lives revolve around are our workouts and our food. We get obsessed with our outside appearance, and we begin to get our satisfaction and fulfillment from the attention and approval of others, rather than from God.
This is not what our lives were meant to be about. When I find myself comparing my body to others, feeling insecure, or getting frustrated about my lack of progress in the gym, I know it's time to take a step back, turn to God, and ask Him to remind me who I am. He doesn't care if I have abs or not. He created me perfectly. And HIS opinion of me is all that matters.
Maybe to some this seems like giving up. Well, maybe I am.
I'm giving up the focus of my life being my body and on my improving my physique. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not going to quit lifting weights-I truly love it and hope to be able to do it forever! I love being strong and working hard at the gym, and I'll continue that for as long as I can. I believe that God has given me this love for fitness for a reason. But I want to use it to honor Him, not just point to myself. If my body continues to improve, great. If not, that's okay, too!
If you're trying to improve your physique, there is nothing wrong with that. But if you are seeking fulfillment and satisfaction in your outer appearance, just know that it will NOT ever satisfy you. Just know that for all of us, our bodies will change over time as we grow older....and not always for the better.
As we age, our bodies will inevitably change. Strength will decrease, muscles will shrink, fat will be harder to keep off. If we rely on our body image for our happiness, then one day we are going to be let down. That is something that none of us can avoid. You also never know when something could happen that would cause us not to be able to workout anymore. Have you ever thought about that? If our fulfillment comes from that alone, then what will we do when that is taken from us?
So, right now, I am satisfied.
Satisfied that I am alive and breathing. Satisfied with the health I've been given. Satisfied that I have a strong, functioning body. Satisfied in who God created me to be.
But most of all...Satisfied in Him.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for God’s approval. They will be satisfied.
Okay, maybe not that extreme, but you get the point. I have seen this picture in the past and thought, 'Yes! So true!' My mindset has always been that you should never be satisfied-there is always something to improve, to tweak, to make bigger, to make smaller, or whatever. In fact, I've spent YEARS doing just that.
But lately my mindset has changed. My prayer now is that I will be satisfied.
Satisfied= contented; pleased.
Satisfied...even with a little more belly fat.
Satisfied....even with puny little calves.
Satisfied...even if I never have a big booty.
Satisfied....even with a flat chest without "enhancements".
Because you know what? None of those things really even matter, and I don't want to waste my life chasing after something that doesn't matter to God! When I stand before God one day to give an account of what I did with the health He gave me, I don't want to just say, "Well....I deadlifted 250 pounds and I built up some really good biceps."
I know I may sound like a broken record here, but I feel that people need to hear this, especially those of us in the fitness industry. It's so easy to get caught up in the comparison trap. I mean, who can blame us? We're constantly being bombarded on social media with photos of perfectly lean, ripped, (and often surgically enhanced) bodies.
It's hard not to look at ourselves and feel that we're not good enough, that we should work harder to look like that way, too. So because we're never satisfied with ourselves, we strive for perfection until it becomes an obsession, until all our lives revolve around are our workouts and our food. We get obsessed with our outside appearance, and we begin to get our satisfaction and fulfillment from the attention and approval of others, rather than from God.
This is not what our lives were meant to be about. When I find myself comparing my body to others, feeling insecure, or getting frustrated about my lack of progress in the gym, I know it's time to take a step back, turn to God, and ask Him to remind me who I am. He doesn't care if I have abs or not. He created me perfectly. And HIS opinion of me is all that matters.
Maybe to some this seems like giving up. Well, maybe I am.
I'm giving up the focus of my life being my body and on my improving my physique. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not going to quit lifting weights-I truly love it and hope to be able to do it forever! I love being strong and working hard at the gym, and I'll continue that for as long as I can. I believe that God has given me this love for fitness for a reason. But I want to use it to honor Him, not just point to myself. If my body continues to improve, great. If not, that's okay, too!
As we age, our bodies will inevitably change. Strength will decrease, muscles will shrink, fat will be harder to keep off. If we rely on our body image for our happiness, then one day we are going to be let down. That is something that none of us can avoid. You also never know when something could happen that would cause us not to be able to workout anymore. Have you ever thought about that? If our fulfillment comes from that alone, then what will we do when that is taken from us?
So, right now, I am satisfied.
Satisfied that I am alive and breathing. Satisfied with the health I've been given. Satisfied that I have a strong, functioning body. Satisfied in who God created me to be.
But most of all...Satisfied in Him.
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