I have had numerous conversations recently concerning body image – and I am surprised to find that it is such a prevalent struggle. For a long time I thought it was just me, but in the last month I have found many people who I look up to and respect are still facing challenges when it comes to their bodies.

In many ways, this crisis shouldn’t be too surprising. All you have to do is look at what society is being fed. From the toys we played with to the fitness advertisements and magazines. Facebook and Instagram have masked the overkill of unrealistic bodies under the hashtag #goals, while television, film and pornography also objectify the human form relentlessly.

Here are a few things I have observed when it comes to body image problems:

It’s not only a female problem

Guys hate to admit it, but all you have to do is walk into any gym and you will find a whole army of insecure men glancing sideways at each other as they try to become the leanest, strongest version of themselves. Now, I know that there are exceptions – but the fact is that guys are wired to react to visual images.

We are also inherently competitive and want to be dominant in any situation. This put me off working out completely for a long time – I was so competitive I would rather not try at all than be less than the people around me.

As much as the Barbie has been a controversial standard for young girls, guys play with Action Men and WWE wrestlers – the modern definition of what it means to be a man is largely based on the six-pack and bicep diameter. You won’t find a chunky superhero. In fact, anything less than 5% body fat is not even recognized – and so we have multiple industries (entertainment, fitness, advertising) that portray the dehydrated, six days a week, scientifically fed body as the ultimate.

I don’t know about you, but I think there’s something very wrong with that kind of picture. The insecure man is becoming the norm as a result – some may say it’s only a few images, but as you’ll see later on, our bodies are a core part of who we are spiritually and emotionally.

It’s a philosophical problem

According to author David Pawson, Ancient Greek philosophers established that there was a difference between the soul and the body – saying that once we die, our body will decay but our soul will be ‘set free’. Basically, the soul is believed to be the important element of our existence – the rest of us were inconsequential.

This philosophy was adopted largely by the Roman Empire as well – resulting in three different ways that people treated their bodies.

  1. They indulged themselves: overeating, sexual depravity, power and ostentatious living were all desires that were gorged to the absolute extreme. Not much different to what we see today. The theory is that no matter what indulgence does to the body (plastic surgery, shortened lifespans, STD’s, stress and burnout), the soul will remain unaffected and be free of the body after death.
  2. They ignored their bodies: this was a false piety in which people would deny themselves any pleasures – living in a self-righteous way that would allow them to judge others. I am very tempted to categorize some dietary lifestyles in this category – but will refrain mainly because I know there are some genuine cases where certain foods are harmful (Let’s just say living ‘gluten-free’ might just be a fashionable soap box for some people…).
  3. They idolized the body: look at all the naked statues that the Romans and Greeks made. All sports had to be played in the nude as a way to draw the crowds in the cities. In the last five years the prevalence of nudity and sex in television has skyrocketed. It’s hard to find good quality content that doesn’t contain some degree of it. The fitness industry is still built on that ‘Adonis’ image. And pornography is the silent disease of our generation.

This is not how God wants us to see our bodies

Unlike the Greek philosophy, the Hebrew belief is that the body is an integral part of who you are. You cannot separate the body from the soul or the spirit. In the last days – when it is believed that Jesus will come back, He is not going to just take our souls to heaven. It says our bodies will be resurrected.

Now even some Christians will be shocked at that premise. God has given us bodies and He will renew them, but we won’t just be floating mists of light in heaven – we’ll have a visible form.

Whatever we do to our bodies – we do to our whole being as well. Why would God go to the trouble of giving us bodies if we were just going to ruin them? They are the visible representation of what is within us. In the Bible Paul calls your body the ‘temple of the Holy Spirit’. It is not just a rotting meat case or an ornamental decoration. In the same breath, your body is not your whole identity either. It is an important element in a way more complex, wonderful being: you.

I don’t know where you might find yourself – but I can imagine you are in one of the three categories above. But it’s time for us to reframe how we think about our bodies. God knows exactly how to heal our thinking in this area. As much as I am trying to reform my understanding of the issue, without God I will only be able to change momentarily. If you want true transformation in this area, you need a personal relationship with the one who created you (your soul and your body). Click on the link below to find out more.