THE SCALE

(image from natural health pharmaceutical)

THE SCALE. Dread. Fear. Insecurity. Competition. Failure. Panic. Nothing but doom and gloom!

When I saw this scale image while I was searching for a picture, I just had to pick it because of the irony it represented. Seriously, a bow on something that generally brings to mind ominous feelings! Upon examining this photo I thought of a few things.... like I mentioned, wrapped with a bow made from a measuring tape. Hmmm. As if to say measuring yourself is going to bring you feelings of joy. Or maybe you could look at it in more of a realistic way for most....you are going to be tied down, imprisoned by this object, and it is literally going to weigh you down! Now I realize, that the scale in and of itself, is not an object to be feared, but the control it can take over our sense of worth is to be feared.

There are times when a scale is a beneficial and almost a necessary object. As a mother, I think back to when my boys were infants, and how the scale helped me to know that indeed my babies were eating enough and that their bodies were absorbing the nutrients properly. Since babies are obviously unable to tell you these things, it does become almost necessary to see it on a scale. In general though, the scale really is not necessary, and ends up doing more harm than good. Why do we get on the scale? To see how much we weigh, right? Why? Is that going to alter something?

When I think of the scale, I have mixed emotions. At this point in my life, I feel freedom from it. No longer does it weigh me down. But that has not always been the case. Before I was really struggling with anorexia, the scale was a gauge to see how my body was responding to the physical activity that I was participating in. Then as the number got lower, I felt a sense of power and accomplishment. As I got further and further into weight loss, the power I felt at the beginning was now replaced with a power over me. The scale could never say the right thing to make me feel good. Obviously if I gained weight, that was bad, yet it was also not enough no matter what I lost. If I did lose a little, it gave me momentary pleasure, that soon was replaced with a nagging voice telling me it was not enough. Then in the depths of my eating disorder, the scale filled me with fear. Would I weigh enough when I went to the doctor or nutritionist? If I didn't, then what was going to happen? During my hospitalizations, the scale became a very important factor for the doctors. It told them whether I was gaining my health back or not. So in that case it was beneficial and necessary. Never during that time, was I shown my weight though, and that was the start to my freedom from the scale. For many years after that I would not step on the scale, and learned to accept me without the # on the scale identifying me. Since that time I have made peace with the scale, and do step on it from time to time, but I don't want to fool you into thinking that I have mastered my body image and never do I struggle, because I am human and have plenty of moments of doubt.

The why of the scale...what is it that pushes you to step on the scale, daily, weekly, or maybe several times a day? What are we looking for? Are we fooled into thinking that if the number is where we have deemed ideal, that we will now be able to accept ourselves? Let me challenge you with the truth...No matter what it says, it will never be enough, if that is where we are seeking to find acceptance of ourselves. Even if and when you reach that # goal, you will almost always find something else that you think is not right with you. The ultimate goal is to get rid of the scale altogether, but for some, this is just too drastic, or maybe for true health reasons you do have to be on a scale. I just want to challenge your thinking on why you get on the scale, and if it is beneficial in accepting who God made you to be. If it has become an idol, or something you are imprisoned by, my prayer is that you will be able to make peace with the scale and yourself!

"We need to agree with God that when He created us, He created something good!"

Joyce Meyer