Does God Care About How Much You Weigh?

So let’s begin with the answers…

1. Does God care what you weigh?

No, God does not care what you weigh because the Bible says that man looks on the outside, but God looks on the heart (1 Sam.16:7).

I don’t believe God is in heaven with a scale and a tape measure, anxious if you gain a pound or two.

I believe He leaves the body size we choose to maintain up to us—just as He leaves our hairstyle and clothing choices up to us.

God loves you just as much at a size 28 as at a size 8.

Nothing you do can make Him love you more than he does now.

What does God care about?

Our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit. We are called to glorify God in body and spirit (1 Cor. 6:19-20).

In John 15:8, Jesus tells us how we glorify God: ” My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.”

The fruit the Jesus is talking about is the fruit of God’s Spirit.

We are to bear much love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (see Gal. 5:22-23).

Any thoughts or behavior that hinder your fruitfulness concern God.

In my case, compulsive overeating was that behavior—one that I was using to hide myself from emotional pain.

My excess weight was just an outward manifestation of what was going on in my heart.

So you see, the real issue is not about size, but stewardship.

God can teach you how to become a good steward of your body and remove the hindrances that keep you from bearing fruit.

Humble yourself and pray the same prayer that King David prayed in Psalm 139:23-24: “Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my concerns, and see if there is any rebellious way in me, and lead me in the ancient way.”

Caring for your body requires wisdom and balance. Only with God’s help can you gain both.

As I learned to build my health through following godly wisdom in my eating behavior and through disciplining my body with regular exercise, my weight took care of itself.

2. Can I “shame and guilt” myself into changing?

I’ve read many articles about weight loss for Christians, and some seem to endorse the “shame your way to change” approach.

But that approach does not work. Well, not for long!

Why?

Because shame and guilt ignores the grace of God.

Trying to use shame as a motivator ultimately leads to frustration, hopelessness, discouragement and depression.

But meditating on the grace of God, His goodness and His love for you constantly leads to a renewed heart and inspires repentance (a change of heart and mind).

You acknowledge that God personally formed every part of your body skillfully and wonderfully, and you want to honor him by taking care of it.

A change in daily behavior is evidence of true repentance.

3. If I fall short in my plan, do I disappoint God?

The other issue I’ve seen is Christians thinking they are “disappointing God” by falling short in their weight loss plan.

But this too is an error in thinking.

Disappointment comes about when you expect something of a person and are surprised when they don’t come through.

But God already knows everything about you. He knows about your mistakes before you make them.

So how can you ever disappoint him? Not only that, but he already has a plan in place to help you recover.

Secondly, there is really no way that you can fall short if you use each mistake as a building block, not a stumbling block.

What can you learn from the mistake that can propel you forward?

God is ever patient in teaching you the right way and leading you in the way you should go.

Remember Philippians 1:6: “I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Jesus Christ.”

With that in mind, resolve to never give up on yourself.

Hold fast to your confidence.

4. Can I eliminate the desire for quick fixes?

I don’t believe it is possible to eliminate the desire for a quick fix. I think that is part of our sin/flesh nature.

It’s like little children on a road trip to Disney World continually asking their parents, “Are we there yet?”

When little children want something good, they don’t want to wait to get it. They want it now!

But as mature believers, we recognize the truth of the Scripture that says that we inherit God’s promises through faith and patience (see Heb. 6:12).

Patience is a fruit of the Spirit.

As I mentioned previously with self-control, it must be exercised to grow (see Gal. 5:22).

However with that being said, you’ll never get to Disney World as long as you stay at home! You have to get on the right road..

Then once you are on the road, you can enjoy the trip by reminding yourself that you will get there in time—encourage yourself continually.

You can also amuse yourself by making your goal a game daily. For example, count how many healthy choices you make each day and every day try to match or beat your previous score.

Finally, enjoy the scenery along the journey:

All of these will ensure that you will not only enjoy your ideal size when you get it, but enjoy yourself all the way to it.

I hope this article clearly provides my stand on some controversial Christian weight loss questions.

And if weight is an issue for you, ask God to show you wisdom in how to handle it.

I am not special—the victory He gave to me, he can give to you! {eoa}

Once 240 pounds and a size 22, Kimberly Taylor can testify to God’s healing power to end binge-eating. She is an author and the creator of the Christian weight-loss website takebackyourtemple.com. Visit today for inspirational health and weight-loss tips.

This article originally appeared at takebackyourtemple.com.