Instead, here, at the real beach, I’m seeing real beachbodies that don’t fit any kind of mold. We all have such different outward appearances. But we do have some things very much in common.
Poolside, beachside, restaurant-side, all of us have traveled here to vacation, to get away from the norm of everyday life. We desire to bask in the glow of the warmer weather that the winter months have shunned.
We sit at tables, tasting the juicy promise of fresh fruits and in-season vegetables that remind us we are meant to enjoy our food in the midst of good company. For our pleasure.
It is in our family’s Spring retreat to the beach that I am reminded how important it is to acknowledge our need for connecting with God’s most precious Creation. We are meant to play in the dirt, swim in the waters, and love the bodies in which He has gifted our souls to live!
I’m proclaiming that I’m living in my best beachbody right now. Maybe the real challenge isn’t to improve my body. Maybe the real challenge is living in the very present moment. The challenge of “renewing my mind” so that I might live more freely and joyfully is the charge I hear as I look out over the vast, sapphire waters (Romans 12:2).
My best beachbody houses a mind that speaks truth.
My best beachbody believes there is power in releasing shame and guilt about not looking like what the #beachbody images convey.
So what is there left to do?
Pull up my swimsuit over this flesh and run. Feel the crush of the waves and taste the bitterness of the saltwater. And maybe even sink in to the pull of the tide, letting it take me somewhere new.
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This article originally appeared at JuleetaCHarvey.com, published with permission.
