i’m currently working on a project about a topic i love. i’m speaking to middle school girls about body image & how to love themselves.

speaking about the topic comes naturally to me. i’ve always tried to encourage my friends to love themselves, so talking to younger girls seems super exciting.

however, as i’m praying and researching- i’m realizing that i’m a total hypocrite.

i beat myself up emotionally every day over something i say, a grade i make, or how a conversation went.

i constantly compare myself to someone smarter, prettier, or better than me.

sure, i’m not constantly hating on my body- but isn’t hating on my mind the same thing?

how can i preach to girls about loving the bodies that they were given if i dont love the mind and soul that i was given.

the chips at your self esteem can be subtle. telling yourself that you’re stupid or calling yourself ugly can slowly add up.

and let me just tell y’all- i struggle so hard with this!

the bible says that

God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. romans 5:5

if we filled ourselves with love- we wouldn’t care about our mistakes and flaws. so if God’s love has filled our hearts, then how do we find it so easy to hate ourselves?

it’s a question that i wish i could answer. i’ve done all the research, and every source says it’s “normal” to hate yourself every once in a while.

yeah, that doesn’t sit right with me.

how about we change “normal” to loving ourselves.

how about when we see our reflection in the mirror all we can think about is how much God loves us.

how about when we get a bad grade, we stop and tell ourselves that we tried our best.

oh how the world would change.

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thanks so much for reading! if you’re interested in learning more about my project or want to receive the resources i’m using, email me!

with prayers and love,

katie