I went to visit my aunt recently in Mill Valley. She was delighted that I had lost weight and wanted to know all about it. However, she went on to give me a critical assessment and decided I should have a makeover because my lips are a little thin. She thought I should then do whatever they said. I basically humored her, not too concerned with her assessment.
When I thought about it later it dawned on me that God was perfectly fine with my thin lips, in fact He created them!
“Let your true beauty come from your inner personality, not a focus on the external.” 1 Peter 3: 3
I also didn’t tell her but it was true that I lost weight not to look better, although that is a benefit, but to improve my health. We are to care for our bodies as a gift from God.
“Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God.” 1 Corinthians 6: 10
So many of us struggle with our weight and worry about our appearance but God is much more interested in our hearts.
“For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away but whoever does the will of God lives forever.” 1 John 2: 16-17
So, while the world constantly bombards us with ways to improve our appearance or food to satisfy every craving, we are to focus on the will of God. And how do we do that? One practical way is to study God’s Word consistently so that our minds and hearts are filled with God’s message rather than the world’s messages.