Hey girl. I see you. I see you noticing the way you look at yourself in the mirror. I see you noticing your love handles, and wondering how in the heck to get rid of love handles. I also see you sweating it out at the gym to only notice no weight changes. I see you trying your best to love yourself and scrolling through those Pinterest graphics saying to find your worth in Christ and that you’re beautiful. I see you. You’re seen.

I’ve been there. I’ve been there, where I point out every single flaw in the mirror. Sometimes, I actively avoid the mirror. I cover my fat with baggy clothes. I try not to look down to avoid looking at my gut.

I know I’m not the only one. I know I’m not the only one who thinks like this. There are countless articles out there that promote body positivity and spout out “how to love yourself” listicles. That’s all GREAT! But what about all of those other moments, where you forget the body positivity lines that you tell yourself? What about that time where you cry in the dressing room because you can’t squeeze into your normal size jeans? What about the time where you eat half a pint of ice cream and worry about stepping on the scale? Where are those body positivity lines—that I try to remember—in those moments?

Those moments aren’t going to go away. They’re not going to go away with a few body positivity lines. (No matter how hard you try, the craving of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream will always be there.) Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love this movement about loving your body. But in order to love your body, you need to come to terms and accept that who you are—including your body type—is unique. God didn’t create you to have a beach body. God didn’t create you to fit into those size down jeans. He created you for a purpose, a purpose that’s beyond physical beauty. He created you for a purpose.

Keep reiterating that, “God created me for a purpose.” Keep reiterating that phrase in those weak moments where you want to cry over belly fat or an unimportant number on the scale. Speak it: “God created me for a purpose.” Because He did. You’re here for a reason—your beautiful, amazing sense of self. You’re here for a purpose.

I remember Philippians 2:4. It’s a verse that sticks with me, even when I’m not necessarily focused on my body image. But it can be applied here. “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” Help others. Love your neighbor. Value others above yourself. But this verse also has a key word/phrase: “look NOT only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” God’s not telling you to forget your interests. But your interests don’t outweigh others’. Your purpose is to serve, and that’s truly the most beautiful that you can be. Also for reference, read the book of Esther in the Bible. She was queen and used her position to help her people—God’s people. “Esther rose and stood before the king…” (Esther 8:4). In Esther 8:6, “For how can I bear to see the calamity that is coming to my people? Or how an I bear to see the destruction of my kindred?” She used her beauty (yes, physical beauty!) to stand up to the king and save her people. She knew the value of others above her physical self.

You can look in the mirror and hate your body. You can step on the scale and ridicule yourself. You can pinch at your body fat and cry a little (or a lot, we’ve all been there). But even if you do lose the weight, what’s still going to be there? Insecurity. You’re still going to compare yourself to someone skinnier, someone more toned, someone with longer legs. Insecurity isn’t going to change unless you not only accept your body but come to actually love and appreciate your body. (And trust me, that takes a while.) Your beauty wasn’t made for you to be a model or to get triple digit Instagram likes. Your beauty wasn’t made to get a boyfriend. Your beauty is when you serve others and help others. That’s true beauty. That’s your purpose. That’s what God created and intended for you to be.

Galatians 5:24 says this: “For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.” Then, later in Galatians 5 in verse 24, it says, “And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”

There’s hardly any Bible verses about body image and positivity. Because God didn’t intend for you to focus on your outward beauty. He created your heart and He wants your heart to serve and love others.

You’re called to freedom when you live for God’s image of beauty instead of the world’s beauty. And once you are free, serve others with intentionality. That being said, I’m not saying you won’t struggle once you are called to freedom from the world’s standard of beauty. But keep reiterating that phrase from earlier, “God created me for a purpose.”