This morning I pulled off in a different spot than I usually do on my way to work, and it was there that I captured the photo above (Pinckney Island National Wildlife Refuge). I’ve been struggling with my own self-image a lot over the last couple of months. When I go through periods of high stress/struggle, my body tends to go one of two directions: either I begin to waste away or blow up like a puffer fish under attack. This go around I’ve gone the way of the puffer fish.

Part of obtaining my patient’s vital signs is getting their weight, and as you can imagine, this leads to discussions about weight loss and/or weight gain. Something I’ve learned is that struggles and concerns about weight is almost universal. Yes, I have some patients who are sick in a way that is resulting in unwanted weight loss. However, I have many that are in a battle against weight gain and their own self-image. This applies to men and women alike. In a conversation with one person recently, in response to their expressions of self-loathing in relation to their weight, I commented that we all need to start looking at ourselves the way our critters look at us.

I am someone who always seems to grasp a concept better with a good analogy (you’ve probably noticed that if you’ve read many of these posts). After that discussion regarding how our animals see us, it hit me that God sees us in much the same way. Let me explain…when one of my dogs is looking at me, I see absolutely nothing but love in their eyes. There is no judgment, there is no malice. Just love. They don’t care if I’ve showered or had my hair done. They don’t care if I’m in shorts and a t-shirt or a beautiful cocktail dress. They don’t care how tall or short I am, what color my hair/eyes/skin is, or what the scale reads when I climb onboard. They just know my heart and my spirit, and they love me exactly as I am. God loves us even more purely and completely than that. I believe He gave us animals to love and to be love by, so that we might have a glimmer of understanding regarding how He loves us for exactly who we are, end of story.

“For I am convinced [and continue to be convinced–beyond any doubt] that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present and threatening, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the [unlimited] love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39 AMP

We spend so much time worrying about how we are viewed by the world around us, allowing ourselves to be weighed down because someone we love doesn’t love us back, or because someone we trusted lets us down. We walk through our days uncomfortable in our own skin because this person or that person might be looking at us and judging us for our appearance. How different would our lives be if we started to see ourselves as our animals see us? How much better would our days be if we were able to continue to love that person who hurt us so deeply, and remember that their choice to withhold their own love in return is their loss much more than it is ours?

When you start to feel self-conscious, ask yourself why. Ask yourself who you are trying to please…the world or the Lord? Take a minute to think about how the most innocent souls in the world see and love us. Then put that kind of love on steroids and know that you are getting closer to understanding how deeply and unconditionally we are loved by our Heavenly Father. By choosing love over anger, hate, and resentment, we are doing what God wants us to do most: LOVE. And that includes loving ourselves.

“Treat others the same way you want them to treat you. If you [only] love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them.” Luke 6:31-32 AMP