Standing Naked Before God and Not Worrying About My Thighs…

You know, once upon a really, really long time ago… we were strolling through a garden, naked and unashamed (Gen 2:25).

It’s how we were designed. I don’t mean we were designed to be naked… although if original sin had never entered the world I wouldn’t be spending nearly as much at Target and Old Navy. But we were designed to not feel shame or be self-conscious about our bodies. Our bodies were created for pleasure and function. Not obsession and scrutiny.

I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately. Not just because I’m on a diet. But because I started trying to get healthy again. This time it’s more about feeling good… more about health than image. Don’t get me wrong… I’m female and with that comes wanting to look good. It’s what we do. And I truly believe that it’s part of how we were created – wanting to be desired and admired. Male and female alike require this – it just manifests itself a little differently in the genders.

My point to all of this isn’t really a new subject. There are many campaigns out there that are trying to rectify our media-skewed body image dysfunctions. I appreciate that there are people like Dove who are running a Real Beauty Campaign. But the problems here, is that we are once again, letting the media tell us what is beautiful. I mean, at least they’re sort of on the right track… but if you consider yourself a follower of Christ – think about this for a moment:

We are all created in His image.  All of us. ALL. Of. Us. This fact, is one of the reasons I love traveling to strange, exotic locations. When I stood next to a woman in the Maasai Mara (see photo below) I thought about how we were both made in God’s image… I couldn’t help but think, “God! What must YOU be like?” My idea of who God is expands. He is no longer in my North American box. On most days, I think of him as a white, middle class suburbanite… but He so, so far from that it’s mind boggling.

So that said, when it’s time to focus of how I view my body and my self-image… I need to step away from the media – good or bad – and take a look at God. I need to gaze at Him awhile. And I can do that through scripture for understanding His character. But I can also look around at creation and try to find those who are the most “unlike” me… and let my idea of who He is grow. And then, and only then, can I truly accept who I am and how I am created.

Yes, I’m still on a diet. The reality is that, thanks to the fall of man, there are calories that like to plant themselves firmly around my waistline.  So in order to be healthy and to be able to be as active as I’d like to be – I must do something  to counter-act that. But I also need to not make it an idol and to not judge my value or worth based on appearance or even ability.

And when I catch myself doing that… and I will because I’m human… and female… I need to take a deep breath, step back… and gaze at our great Creator for awhile. Which is much more appealing than looking in a mirror.

Grounded…

It’s Sunday morning and I’m writing this from my cozy green couch. If you know me, you know how significant a statement that is… considering the crazy travel schedule I’ve had the last 6 years.

Last Saturday, I grabbed a last minute lunch with a couple of friends at the Grilled Cheeserie truck that comes to East Nashville on weekends. We were sitting there slurping our gooey cheesey sandwiches when my friend Duane stopped mid-bite and said, “Wait! It’s Saturday! And I’m eating lunch with Debbie Barnett!” It’s a very good thing.

The number one question people are asking me is, “Are you going to miss traveling?”

Yes and no. What I love about traveling is discovering new places, seeing a world of people out there who are just like me and who are very different than me. Experiencing different cultures within our own country is fascinating. We Americans are such an eclectic people! More than anything, I love traveling abroad. It helps me see that this world is both awfully huge and quite small. The vastness of this world becomes evident when you climb on a plane in an all-familiar Nashville, TN  and some 18 hours later you step off into some wild, untamed place like Addis Abba, Ethiopia. But it’s that very thing that makes the world seem so small… because it’s all so attainable.

Anyway, that part of travel I will miss. But here’s a list of what I WON’T miss:

• being stranded in yet another airport due to delays, cancellations weather and incompetence.
• being lovingly frisked by TSA agents every few days
• having constant jet-lag and a body that has no idea what time zone its in
• swollen ankles & fingers from being 35,000 feet in the air several times a week
• missing yet another friend’s wedding, birthday, dinner party, graduation, etc
• feeling like a visitor in my own church
• conversations back home that always with, “I haven’t seen you in forever!”

And here’s a few things I’ve discovered that I LOVE about being grounded (or not traveling for a living):

• having a regular sleeping pattern
• being home on weekends when everyone else is off work as well
• my mailman now recognizes me and waves
• not eating “out” for every meal and getting to cook more
• being able to say “yes” to invitations
• my plants don’t die
• discovering the meaning to “Thank God It’s Friday”
• not having to “catch up” with close friends because we stay caught up.

Don’t get me wrong… I loved what I was doing these last 6 years and see it as such a gift. But suffice it to say… I’m loving the adjustment and thank God every day for the amazing life He has given me.  But I’m happy for the change and ready to embrace a new way of of living it for now. And who knows what the future holds? But I know that He holds me… so I will just hang on and enjoy the ride.

World Vision blogging trip in the Dominican Republic

Nashville is facing a major crisis at the moment and we’re still trying to bail ourselves out of the largest non-hurricane related flood disaster this country has ever seen.  It’s now being hailed  The 1000 Year Flood – meaning it’s only likely to happen once every 1000 years. It’s mind-boggling and tragic. Many have lost their lives, their loved ones, their homes, their jobs, their stuff. However, I decided not to dedicate and entire blog to this situation – there are so many people already doing that. If you want to read more – here is an excellent tribute to what we Nashvillians have been facing.

What’s difficult to remember during a time like this is that the rest of the world continues to spin… and in many places it’s still spinning our of control. And it has been for years. For most Third World countries, the severity of our Nashville disaster is a regular occurrence. They are in crisis-mode every single day. We panic because we have to cut our water usage in half while places the Dominican Republic have to worry whether or not their drinking water is going to kill them or not. That’s not a slam to what we’re going through here… just an observation and a bit of perspective.

I, by no means, am trying to reduce the perception of what’s happening here in Music City… I just want to encourage people (especially those of us in middle Tennessee) to not forget that the majority of the world suffers daily. I want to take this moment and in some small way… try to relate. I want to remember that we are all brothers and sisters and are children of God. We are all made in His image and created to worship our great Creator. And we all deserve a chance to do just that…

All that said, there is a group of regular bloggers that, as we speak, are in the Dominican Republic with World Vision. They’re visiting some of the sites where we work, and are seeing firsthand the depth of the need that this beautiful country has faced for years. And it’s gotten worse ever since the Haiti earthquake… as they’re now inundated with Haitian refugees.

Below is the list of bloggers on this trip. Read their words… following their journey. And join them as they pray for their hearts to be broken by the things that break the heart of God.

ohamanda.com
jesusneedsnewpr.net
themomcreative.com
thediaperdiaries.net
mommysnacks.net
bargainbriana.com