Do you love yourself?

Girls and boys have such different experiences discovering their bodies.

By the time boys are potty training, they are forming a very hands on relationship with their penis. It is part of everyday life to touch and hold their penis, and it can quickly become a best friend. They know what it looks like, what it feels like, and how it changes with temperature, and there is really nothing dirty about their penis. It is simply part of who they are.

Girls on the other hand, are physically created very differently. Our parts are tucked inside and may never be touched, besides the occasional wiping with a piece of toilet paper. If you wanted to actually see what was down there, you’d have to either bend like a pretzel, or dare to pull out a mirror. Even  in a mirror, our bodies are distantly removed when we view them through a reflection. Girls grow up not knowing that they have 3 holes, all they know is that dirty stuff comes out down there, and you better wash your hands with soap and water afterwards.

I ask the question, “Do you love yourself?” because I am not sure many of us really do.

God created women with amazing bodies. Our vaginas can stretch large enough to birth a baby and still respond to firmly hug our husband’s penis. Our breasts can nurse a baby, provide hours of entertainment for our husbands,and be sensitive enough to trigger an orgasm. Our cllitoris created solely for our pleasure can provide a lifetime of experiences that are different every time. And yet, how many of us really know our bodies, or do we still think of it as dirty, or a black hole.

I recently read of an assignment given to a group of women. At home, they were to use a mirror to study their bodies, and then draw a picture of their vulva to be shared with the others at the next class. After many protests were voiced, the instructor asked, “would you protest if I asked you to draw your arm or your ear?” What was different? None of these women were artists, so it was not  sharing an actual picture of their vulva, just their rendering.

After the class ended, many women shared that this was one of the most powerful exercises they had done. Just spending time studying themselves, drawing what they saw, and proudly sharing with the others, they had been given a new appreciation for God’s creation.

In order to love yourself, you must first know yourself. That means touching your body to learn how God uniquely created you to feel. That means looking at yourself and studying yourself, even the parts that are hard to see. That might even mean smelling or tasting yourself. Get to know yourself and be amazed at the incredible body God gave you.