Stop Fat Talk

Have many times have you heard a friend say: "I'm so fat." or "Do I look fat in this?" (Or how many times have you said that about yourself to someone else?)

How about:

Friend 1: "I'm so fat."

Friend 2: "No you're not, I am."

Friend 1: "You are NOT fat. But look at me, I mean my thighs are HUGE."

Friend 2: "Are you kidding me? Your legs are like sticks! Look at my stomach. Ugh, gross."

And so on and so forth...

Sound familiar?

This video was made four years ago for an event called "Fat Talk Free Week." It's pretty powerful. Take a moment to watch it.

Many women think fat talk is helpful because they see that their friends suffer from the same problem. But in reality, woman who complain about their bodies are actually more unsatisfied with their appearance. Support and empathy from friends is important and even healthy. Commiserating about body image is not. Fat talk tends to emphasize the ideal body image portrayed by the media and leads women to believe that hating one's body is normal.

This makes me so, so sad. I think it cuts really deep with me because it was a part of my life for about six years. Body image issues consumed me throughout high school and for a good portion of my first two years of college. I now realize that talking with my friends who shared my struggle was not beneficial; if anything, it continued to feed the struggle.

It honestly makes my insides hurt when I think about how controlling this struggle with body image has been for girls and women in today's society. One out of three women is on a diet at any given time. An estimated seven million women in America have an eating disorder. And 97% of women have negative body thoughts daily. That is an overwhelming percentage.

So I think that one of the ways we can help prevent eating disorders and obsession over dieting and weight, is to STOP fat talk. I have to start with myself. I will stop fat talk. And I will try to help my friends stop as well.

Let me just end by saying that the root of this struggle is sin. Our desire for people to find us attractive, our brokenness, our dissatisfaction. That is all sin. And I do not want to pretend that body image issues will be solved by simply eliminating certain words or phrases from our vocabulary. I know that the only true healing that anyone can receive is through Jesus. I know without a doubt that I would not be able to fight this battle without Christ. I pray that Christian women would recognize the grace of God and the life He has given us. Let us stop striving for the unattainable and start believing that the Lord looks at the heart.

I want people to see Christ in me. The way I look shouldn't matter. It's time I start believing that.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you" (ESV).

I've been learning a lot about these verses lately, especially about giving thanks "in all circumstances." It's not like something terrible has happened in my life and I need to start learning about giving thanks even when it seems impossible. I'm learning more about being thankful because thankfulness results in deep, genuine joy. I want that joy! Giving thanks in the everyday, mundane tasks will allow me to find joy in my seemingly ordinary life.

Also, each piece from these verses work together. If you are constantly praying, you are able to give thanks and find joy. I cannot find true joy in anything but the Lord, so what better way to find that joy than through prayer and thanksgiving!

"The discipline of thanks only comes with practice." -Ann Voskamp

Another thing I've been learning is about being fully alive. It's one thing to be physically in a place; it's another to be fully there and fully attentive. And I can choose to be fully attentive. I want to do that; I want to be fully present everywhere I am in order to give glory to God and be able to serve others.

I want to pray continually - without ceasing - that Thy will be done. Not my will. His. I must trust in His plan for my life because it is perfect. And that trust will lead to joy!

The Lord has blessed me with so much and I want to become the blessing to others now.

"Passionately serving Christ alone makes us the loving servant to all." -Ann Voskamp

Talented Siblings

I am so incredibly proud of my siblings.

My brother, James, just performed in his last piano recital on Sunday and he did a phenomenal job. Seriously, I'm convinced he didn't make a single mistake (although he insisted that he was not perfect). He played technically well, but his pieces were also full of emotion, especially his Chopin Prelude. James has a lot of natural talent when it comes to music. He is stopping piano lessons in order to take up bass guitar lessons which I know he will absolutely love. He also has a great voice. He's really modest about it and probably would never sing for you by himself, but he really does have a gift. We just found out that he will be a part of the advanced mixed choir in school this coming year! It's very impressive because sophomores are not typically put into this choir. I am super excited for him and his upcoming musical endeavors.

Katie, my sister, graduated from high school today. Holy cow. I cannot believe it. Sometimes I feel like I just graduated -- but that was two years ago! She did a stellar job in school this year, earning above a 4.0 GPA. And let me tell you, I did not get a 4.0 my senior year...or at any point in my high school career...or ever. She didn't just shine academically though; she was one of the captains of her high school lacrosse team and was the second highest scorer on the team. Katie is extremely driven, especially when it comes to sports. She will be playing lacrosse for West Chester University in the fall and I cannot wait to see how her hard work will pay off there! She was also in a Music and Computer Technology (MCT) class this year where she learned a lot about composing music. She put hours and hours of time into this class and has grown immensely as a musician. Her performances never fail to blow me away and move me to tears. She puts her heart into her music and it shows.

I love my brother and sister more than they know and I am so thankful for them.

LOVE.