4 Good Reasons to Stop saying the F-word.

Ok, I’m not talking about that F-word… Though I would really like to stop seeing it appear on my Facebook feed. (Shameless plug, my friends.)

Nope, the abominable F-word I am talking about is… dare I say it on my blog?….. FAT.

There is a popular “pin” showing up on Pinterest* lately:

Inigo Montoya is correct. ALL women need to stop using that word. Here is why:

1. You are negatively critiquing God’s masterpiece.

Stop calling yourself fat, please. It hurts my heart. It hurts God’s heart.

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. Psalm 139:14

2. Your negative self-talk will stimulate someone else’s.

We need to stop saying the word “fat” for the sake of our mothers, sisters, daughters, and friends.

He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. Ecclesiastes 3:11

See, the word “fat” is a trigger word for other women (and men) who are struggling. Ask a former drug addict what triggers his craving for drugs he no longer uses…. he will say “anything from conversation about drug use to visual stimulation (like movies or pictures).”

It’s a battle to not give in to the temptation. The word “Fat” is the same kind of trigger. It doesn’t make us crave food persay, but it does stimulate that negative-self-talk nerve. We think, “Ooh, she is calling herself fat, well I a have a muffin top no-one can compete with.”

It becomes a self-depreciation epidemic. Internally or vocally, fat-thinking is contagious.

>>I need to pause here and remind myself not to internalize any of the words I am writing. It can be that powerful.<<

God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. Genesis 1:31

3. Your identity is in Christ.

The issue here is not the word “fat”. I made an amazing chicken chili the other day. When I was trimming the fat off of the chicken, I didn’t have a mental breakdown about my body. Nope, just making dinner.

The problem is the word that comes before “fat”: is / am

These are identity words. “I am fat/she is fat;” rather than “I have too many fat cells.”

How beautiful you are, my darling! Oh, how beautiful! Your eyes are doves. –Solomon to his wife (also God’s words to His people), Song of Songs 1:15

We have to change the culture we live in. We have to create a shift in identity thinking for ourselves and our families.

Jesus is where our identity starts. If you have surrendered your life** to this One and only Savior, then He is your master… the only one who’s opinion matters. We are daughters of the King of kings… mighty warriors for His Kingdom…. the picture of His love and devotion to a lost and dying world.

We are not FAT.

We may have fat, but it is not who we are.  We can address our health, fitness, and shape in a way that glorifies God and compliments his healthy design for our bodies. But this process DOES NOT INVOLVE identity name calling!!!!

4. God has given us a purpose:

Many internet sensations would now be telling you to just love yourself more. That is bologna.

I am not advocating “love yourself” philosophy. I am encouraging a “get your eyes on Jesus” theology.

We don’t need to love ourselves more. Jesus love for us should be enough! When we get our eyes on Jesus, his death and resurrection to save us, and His work in our daily lives, our perspective changes: We love Jesus more. We think about Jesus, not whether or not we are fat or skinny. And when we are focusing on Jesus, we naturally start living the healthy life of a Christ-follower, spiritually, physically, and mentally.

This “fat identity” thing is only a distraction from the truth of our true purpose and sense of self: to love our God and share His love with the people around us. This is called GOOD NEWS. We cannot be positive about the good news of Jesus if we keep our attention on our negative perspective of our bodies.

I try very very hard to be positive about my body, for all the reasons above. But it is difficult to take a stand in a society that is overrun with parasitic paraphernalia (media) and conversations of negative thinking.

Will you join me in creating a new culture for Facebook, Pinterest, family get-togethers, locker-room self talk, conversations at the gym, and in-front-of-mirror perspectives?

Take down those pins. Delete those posts. Rewrite your Instagram pic descriptions. Change the culture.

#Beautifullymade    #ThankYouJesus

(Check out my “Life Shapers” Pinterest Board for creative and positive truths to pin)

I love you, and I am praying for you.

Becky

*Another thing that bothers me about the Pinterest picture is the women who feel they need to take pictures of their bodies in a way that displays so much skin. There is so much I could say about identity, security, and modesty, but I will save it for another day. For now, can we just get our eyes on Jesus, and stop asking for everyone else’s eyes to be on our bodies, whether we feel attractive or not…?

** Have you made the decision to follow Jesus? I would love to share my story with you about how Jesus changed my life. Read about it here.