November 12
The Struggle
to See the Truth
“Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own.”
1 Corinthians 6:19 (NIrV)
Tanya sat in front of her mirror, staring at the reflection in disbelief. She had just finished scrolling through her Instagram feed, where every post seemed to show flawless women with perfect bodies. Hollywood stars walking the red carpet in glamorous dresses, their smiles radiating confidence and beauty. It all made her feel small—like she was somehow failing to measure up.
She had always been self-conscious about her appearance, but lately, the pressure to look like the women on her screen had become overwhelming. Every time she looked in the mirror, she saw someone too big, too imperfect. She compared herself to the images of women she saw on social media, telling herself she didn’t belong in their world.
“I need to lose more weight,” she whispered to herself, a familiar voice in her mind convincing her that it was the only way she could feel better. The extreme diets began again. She ate less and worked out harder, ignoring the growing hunger in her body and the weariness in her muscles. She thought she was getting closer to the image of perfection she saw online, but the more weight she lost, the emptier she felt. Her body was crying out for nourishment, but her mind drowned out the signals, fixated on the number on the scale.
Days turned into weeks, and Tanya continued to starve herself, believing that her worth was tied to how she looked. She felt more disconnected from herself than ever before. Her spirit felt as empty as her stomach.
One evening, after a long workout, Tanya sat on the edge of her bed, exhausted. She glanced at the Bible that had been sitting on her nightstand for weeks, untouched. She hadn’t opened it since she first started struggling with her self-image. But tonight, she felt a pull, a soft whisper that urged her to read.
She flipped open to 1 Corinthians 6:19, and as her eyes fell on the words, something clicked inside her: “Your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit.”
For the first time in a long while, Tanya realized something. She had been treating her body as an enemy, something to be controlled and punished, instead of a precious gift from God. She had forgotten that her body was meant to honor Him, not to be molded into some impossible image of perfection.
Her heart ached as she thought about the years she had spent chasing after a lie. She had believed the world’s version of beauty, thinking that approval came from how she looked on the outside. But the truth was, she was already beautiful in God's eyes, just as she was.
In that moment, Tanya fell to her knees, overwhelmed by both guilt and grace. She had been hurting herself, believing she needed to be something she wasn’t. But now, in this quiet moment, she realized she didn’t need to be perfect. She was enough. She was loved.
With tears streaming down her face, Tanya whispered a prayer to God, asking for healing—for herself and for the strength to embrace the truth about who she was in His eyes.
Prayer:
Dear Heavenly Father,
I come to You today feeling broken and overwhelmed by the lies I have believed about myself.
I have tried to measure my worth by the world’s standards, but I now know that You see me differently.
I am Your creation, fearfully and wonderfully made, and my body is a temple of Your Spirit.
Lord, help me to stop comparing myself to others and instead see myself through Your eyes.
Teach me to honor my body as a gift from You, and to love myself as You love me.
I pray for strength to resist the lies of this world and to embrace the truth that I am already enough in Your sight.
Thank You for Your grace and for showing me the beauty in who I am.
In Jesus' name, Amen.
