Strong > Skinny

Have you heard the phrase, strong is the new skinny? Workout programs say it. Your friend who suddenly started doing Pilates at 6:00 AM says it. And honestly… for a very long time the message to women was simple... be smaller. Smaller waist. Smaller appetite. Smaller presence. But somewhere along the way, the conversation started shifting towards strength. But let me confess something. I am absolutely guilty of getting fixated on the number on the scale. Like the kind of guilty where you step on the scale… step off… move it slightly on the tile because maybe the floor was uneven… step back on it again... and somehow the number is still rude.

Here’s the truth. That number has way too much power over us sometimes. It can change our mood before we’ve even had coffee. It can make us feel like we’re “doing good” or “doing bad.” It can trick us into believing that somehow our value went up or down overnight. But God never asked us to chase skinny. Not once. You know what He talks about instead? Strength. Not “can you run a mile strength, or can you do 20 push ups strength." I’m talking about the kind of strength that... keeps showing up when life is messy, keeps trusting God when anxiety starts spiraling, keeps loving people when they're difficult, and keeps moving forward when things don't go as planned. That's the strength that matters.

But the more I’ve thought about it, the more I realize something. Even strong vs skinny still keeps our focus on the outside. And God has always been more interested in something deeper. "You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God." 1 Peter 3:4 Now let’s pause for a second, because I used to read that verse and think it meant we weren’t supposed to care about how we look. Like… are we talking no mascara, and no lip stick for the rest of our lives? Because respectfully, I will still be wearing mascara. But that’s not what Peter is saying. He’s reminding us that beauty that only exists on the outside fades. Trends change. Bodies change. The scale changes (sometimes daily, which feels personal). But the beauty that comes from a heart rooted in God? That doesn’t fade.

A woman who walks in faith… who trusts God with her life… who chooses kindness, peace, and strength even when things are hard… that kind of beauty doesn’t come from a gym, a mirror, or a number on a scale. It comes from the inside. And honestly? That’s the kind of strong we should all be chasing. A woman who knows who she is in Christ, walks in faith, and refuses to let the scale define her day... that is the strongest woman in the room.

SHE Walks in Faith

Strong doesn’t always look like lifting weights. Sometimes strong looks like:

• Refusing to let the scale decide your mood

• Choosing gratitude for your body

• Speaking kindly to yourself

• Remembering that your worth was never measured in pounds

God didn’t design you to spend your life criticizing your reflection. He designed you to live fully in the body He gave you.

🩷 Prayer

Lord, help me shift my focus from outward appearance to the strength and beauty You are building within me. Remind me that my value isn’t determined by a number on a scale or the standards of the world. Teach me to care for my body with gratitude and to pursue the unfading beauty that comes from walking closely with You. Amen.