I’m reading a book that is challenging me to learn about and take care of my body.  It talks about acknowledging any feelings of shame I have developed, and to tear them down piece by piece.  This is hard work.  It requires unlearning some things I thought were true about myself, and learning things the world never meant for me to know.

The book is heavy.  It’s intense.  It’s exhausting.  The book is also enlightening and rewarding.  It’s teaching me that I am beautiful, and that I am worthy of love, joy, and fulfillment.

And as I type this, I realize that this isn’t the first time I have read a book with these themes.   The Bible, too, teaches the exact same things.  It, too, challenges everything I have ever learned about myself and others.  It, too, challenges me to rethink my learned behaviors and replace them with healthy, more productive actions.  It, too, teaches me to appreciate my own beauty and the beauty of those around me.

If, by chance, you are using your Bible to beat yourself up, or to tear others down, I suggest you put the book down for awhile.  Go to your nearest library and pick up whatever self-help book you want. Read it.  Do the work.  Then come back to your Bible.  Read it.  Then, do the work.

It will be heavy.  It will be intense.  It will be exhausting, but trust me. It will be worth it in the end.