Godliness and Vanity

I'm going to visit my best friend next week and she told me to remember my swimsuit. I decided to try on my swimsuit tonight. For the first time in my life I didn't feel ugly and self conscious when I looked at myself in the mirror. I thought, "WOW! I look pretty darned good!!!"

I'm definitely no beauty queen by the world's standards, but I realized how far I have come from February 2007. I still have a drooping belly which is slowly starting to lift as more of the fat is burned and replaced with muscle. My arms have some flab, but nothing that would indicate such significant weight loss. My legs are firm enough now that I can hardly pinch anything.

I was reminded of a comment from a friend of mine. Vanity can sometimes slip in when people are bodybuilding. For me, this is NOT about vanity and if it becomes about vanity then I am done with bodybuilding. I'm so happy when I'm living healthy physically, emotionally, and especially spiritually. I'm fascinated with how God has created us and how the human body can be transformed so dramatically. Keeping my eyes fixed on Christ and His love for me as a person, I can then treat my body as He wants me to treat it. My food addiction begins to fade away as I seek Him. In all things, I want to live a life that is God-centered and not me-centered. Isn't that what true beauty should be?