I admit it. I have always hated Romans 12:1 – Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. (NASB)
courtesy answerfitness.com
Why do I hate this verse? Because most of my life I have hated my body. I have the metabolism of a sloth. I’m short and stocky, and have struggled with my weight since childhood. When I look in the mirror standing in the buff, all I see is buff – Big, Ugly, Fat, Frumpy. I wobble between hating myself and being angry with God because He made me with this propensity to be overweight. Health issues prevent me from exercising, but even when I could, it didn’t seem to make any difference. The inches kept piling on, no matter what I ate or didn’t eat. Nor how many hours I sweated working out or not. I’ve had test after test and no doctor can figure out why.
I’ve blubbered to God so many times. Why is it so easy for me to put on pounds and so hard to take 
them off? Why does it seem that no diet works? I’ve tried them all. Pounds melt off others while mine stay on. (and no – I don’t want to hear about your miracle diet and how well it works.)
How can I present Him my body when it is un-presentable to me? How can it be holy and pleasing when it is so unpleasing to look at in the mirror? Presents are supposed to be pretty so people ooh and aah over them, right? How can I be acceptable to God in my “present” state?
The other verse I hate? The one they want all women with poor body images to memorize – Psalm 139:14: I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. Yes, the human body is wonderfully made in its mechanics, ability to heal itself, etc. But my body isn’t marvelous to behold. Sorry. Can’t go there. I have pictures to prove it.
The funny thing is I don’t mind presenting other ugliness in my life to my Lord. I have no qualms about confessing a nasty attitude about someone else. I often offer a problematic thought to Him to rebuke or reform and let Him expose my misconceptions that are blocking His blessings. So why is so hard for me to present my body? It’s not as if God doesn’t know what I look like.
Today, in a Bible study by Priscilla Shiver, I saw the verse with new eyes. Present means surrendering control — like kneeling before the king with arms stretched out and handing it to him. Here. Take it for your use.
This struggle is beyond my capabilities. Obviously- since I have battled and never won in sixty-plus years. However, I can choose to acknowledge this conflict cannot be totally mine anymore. It’s not up to me to win it, but to surrender it.
If I daily present my body to God, He will transform it–if He so desires. I’m not saying I will wake up a size 8 in a few weeks or even in a year. Whether that happens or not, I must trust that He will transform my attitude about it. His Spirit will provide the power and tools I need. All I am required to do is present it, each and every day.
Whatever you are battling in your life–whether it is your weight, an addiction, an attitude like anger or unforgiveness, a grudge–daily present it to the Lord. First thing before your feet hit the floor.
I’d say we can do this together, but I know we can’t. Only God can, with His Spirit renewing our minds, souls…and perhaps bodies.
Where Did You Find God Today? 
I sure hope you don’t think you’re the only one of the planet with this problem, Julie. We all struggle with the way we’re made…some of us more than others. When I was thirteen a boy face to face told me out-loud and in front of a group of friends…”You’re one ugly girl. I mean ugly!” And they all laughed.
All these years later–and I won’t say how many–those words and their cruel laughter still echo in my head and heart. And it’s only been through, as Paul says, “I buffet my body…” ’cause I look in the mirror and hear “you’re ugly.” And it hasn’t been until I heard Bill Gilham preach about this…”Satan,” he said, “…whispers to us in first person singular with a southern accent.” I was shocked! Had I been listening to the voice of the evil one all these years…and believing it? Yep!
Then Bill Gilham reminded, “God made every inch of you just the way He determined how you would be and look and He loves you just the way you are.” I’ve struggled from time to time believing God would lovingly put together bowed legs, long nose, buck teeth, fat fanny, mousey hair, loud mouth, severely right brained and call it good. But He did…
And you hit the nail on the head. The key word is surrender. Surrender every inch of this imperfect body to do with as He pleases…until that marvelous moment, in the twinkling of an eye, we shall all be changed! To what? I don’t know….maybe just from mortal to immortal. But He tells us we will know each other…and guess what, when I look at you I see a precious friend. A friend who loves me just like I am, and whom I love just as you are. A gracious, kind, and always helpful lady who exemplifies my perfect sister in Christ. And bet you didn’t know, like we didn’t know, what irks me about myself either. 🙂 But I’m learning, it’s not about me…it’s all about HIM! ❤
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Thanks. I’m testing this for reception before submitting it to go worldwide as part of my ministry. I know women all over the world deal with this issue. Even so,the idea of half a million readers seeing it is way beyond my comfort zone!
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