Day 9 — My Body

“And God looked upon all that He had made, and indeed, it was very good.”

— Genesis 1:31 (BSB)

You catch sight of yourself in a shop window and wince. Too tall, too short, too thin, too big, too dark, too pale, the wrong hair, the wrong skin. Your friends’ bodies seem to be changing faster than yours, or slower. An aunt at a family gathering says something about how you look, in front of everyone. And online, every face is smooth, every body is shaped just so, every photo is the best of fifty attempts, often edited.

It’s very hard to feel at home in your body at this age. It’s changing quickly, everyone seems to have an opinion about it, and it’s surrounded by images designed to make you feel you don’t measure up.

So let’s go back to the beginning. When God made human beings, He made them with bodies. Not souls trapped in flesh, but whole people, body and soul together. And when He looked at everything He had made, including the first man and woman, “indeed, it was very good.”

Your body isn’t a mistake, an accident or an enemy. It’s God’s idea.

Of course, we live in a broken world now. Bodies get sick, get injured, don’t work the way we want. Some people live with disabilities or long illnesses. The Bible doesn’t pretend otherwise. But God never stopped valuing bodies. When the Son of God came to rescue us, He took a body of His own. When He rose from the dead, He didn’t come back as a ghost. He said, “Look at My hands and My feet. It is I Myself. Touch Me and see.” And He promises that one day He “will transform our lowly bodies to be like His glorious body.”

That means there are two mistakes to avoid.

The first is worshipping your body: making how you look the most important thing about you, spending hours chasing an image, measuring your worth by comments and likes. “Man sees the outward appearance, but the LORD sees the heart.” Your looks are not the main thing about you, and they are certainly not your worth.

The second is despising your body: hating it, punishing it, treating it as something to be fought. Paul says, “your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit,” and “glorify God with your body.” That means caring for it: sleep, food, movement, rest. Not as a way to look a certain way, but because it’s a gift on loan from God.

Here’s something really important. If eating, food or exercise ever starts to feel out of control, or if you find yourself hurting your body in any way, please tell a parent or trusted adult, and see a doctor. Many young people struggle with this, and it can become serious. Asking for help is wisdom, not weakness. And if anyone ever pressures you about your body or touches you in a way that’s wrong, it is not your fault. Tell a trusted adult.

God looked at what He made and said, “Very good.” He hasn’t changed His mind about you.

Think about it: What do you say to yourself when you look in the mirror? Would you say those things to a friend?

Try this: Each time you catch yourself criticising your body today, stop and thank God for one thing your body can do: see, laugh, walk, hug, run, breathe.

Go deeper: The Key Teachings of Augustine of Hippo — Augustine grew up among thinkers who saw the body as a prison, but learned from Scripture that the body is God’s good work and that the gospel promises not to free us from our bodies but to give them back made new. Start with chapter 21, “The Resurrection of the Flesh”.

Creator God, You made me, body and soul, and You called what You made very good. Forgive me for the times I’ve hated my body or made it the most important thing about me. Help me see myself the way You see me, and care for my body as Your gift. If I’m struggling, give me courage to ask for help. In Jesus’ name, Amen.