The dreaded bathing suit shopping season is upon us. The excitement of getting away has given you reason to stuff your winter, pasty self into the equivalent of a tropical flowered undergarment for all to see. There should be a support group for these shopping trips – women of the same age shopping together and speaking loveliness over the one sighing deeply in the next changing room. As much as we could all rant about our youthful appearance surrendered to life and age – let’s not engage in taking our blessings and viewing them as our blemishes.
- Your body reflects the love you birthed and the love you sacrificed for.
- Your body wants to live, be strong, and carry you well.
- Your body has been through a lot – trauma, surgery, indulgences, sicknesses … and continues to give you devoted repair.
- Your body receives what you give it and does its best to give back what you desire.
Why is it, we can know all this about our body yet we’ll still wish away or condemn its shape, size, and ability? Have we lost sight of the fact that our body is part of creation and part of God’s design? And with that, part of the fall of mankind?
Loving our body is an internal work.
- It’s looking away where comparison entices you to peek.
- It’s giving grace to transition.
- It’s being honest about its ability – knowing when to push and when to relent.
- It’s recognizing it’s need for continuous nurturing.
If you want to know how to look good in a bathing suit, here are my suggestions …
Stop watching the eyes of others to see if they’re watching you … focus on your relaxation, fun, or people you’re with.
Be comfortable … if your bathing suit has you sucking it in, pulling it out, tucking it back in, or questioning your ability to move, you bought the wrong one.
Nourish your body well … please, please, please stop starving yourself. Eat for nourishment. Eat when your stomach asks to be fed. You wouldn’t starve your child, or deny them because they reached their daily calories … nurture and nourish yourself the same way.
Attract eyes to your smile … anything that draws attention away from your face, will leave you feeling unseen and too examined at same time. You’ll always have people who will look you up and down; they’re comparing themselves or making a judgement, try to let it go.
Listen, looking good in a bathing suit or anything else is yours to behold. You decide what looks good, feels good, and makes you confident. Why give that power to someone who has never been in your body or experienced what you’ve gone through?
Bless those with the ideal hour-glass shape, and bless those who don’t conform to the ever-demanding cultural ideals … and, bless those who are struggling with it all.
Outward beauty is a very small and diminishing percentage of what makes a woman a woman – Beauty is knit into your DNA.
You’re a fighter and a victor.
You’ve received and you’ve given – life, love, and the ability to withstand the pain they often bring.
You’ve lived through great times and bad – and never stopped moving forward.
You’ve expanded, shrunk, and expanded again – your body is alive and speaking to you through every phase of life.
You instinctively know how to nurture another, whether it be with an ear or a hand – your body has shown up to give.
Friend, you’re not in your twenties anymore and for some us the thirties and forties are behind us too – let’s live like we’re loved, like we’re seen, like we’re nurtured in ways that only our heart can give to our body.
Buy the suit that makes you feel … like the best of you.
If you need some ideas to help you get started in caring for yourself (heart, soul, and body), check out this post. Cared-for Ideas
Here’s to accepting and loving the sunny days ahead!
Let’s stay connected!