With God’s Strength, You Can See Your Body As Valuable

For most of my life, my body and I were enemies.

It wasn’t until my late thirties—after a painful wake-up call—that I began to see my body as the precious gift it truly is.

Today, the joy I feel in my health journey is worth every step I took to get here.

At one point, I weighed 240 pounds and wore a size 22. My gynecologist often reminded me of the importance of losing weight, but during one visit, his words hit differently. Frustrated, he said, “What you’re doing to your heart is like asking a Volkswagen engine to carry the weight of a Mack truck.” His blunt analogy shook me. I left his office, sat in my car, and cried.

But instead of changing, I sought comfort in the only way I knew how—eating.

That night, I consumed an entire coconut cake from my refrigerator. It wasn’t that I lacked knowledge about health. As a Registered Nurse, I understood nutrition and exercise well. My problem was deeper: I didn’t want to change.

Food was my solace—my way of feeling loved and special. It was how I coped with stress and exhaustion after long workdays.

Cooking felt like a chore, so fast food became my default. And with most of my friends and colleagues also struggling with their weight, it was easy to justify my habits.

Every time I announced that I would lose weight for good, people around me would nod knowingly as if to say, “We’ve heard this before.” They weren’t wrong—I had tried countless diets and spent thousands on weight loss programs and equipment. Yet each time, the weight returned with interest.

Everything changed after what I now call my “heartbreak.”

Two years after my doctor’s Mack truck comment, I began experiencing high blood pressure—a condition that ran rampant in my family. My grandmother died of a stroke at just 47 years old; six months later, her mother passed away from the same cause. My mother, aunt, and cousins all battled hypertension.

It felt inevitable that I was next.

One night while watching TV on the sofa, I fell asleep. When my bedroom alarm startled me awake, I jumped up to turn it off—and then it happened. A searing pain shot through my chest as though someone had reached inside and squeezed my heart with brutal force. The pain lasted only a second but left me frozen in fear.

Standing there with my hand over my heart, afraid to take another step, I saw the truth: my poor health habits were destroying me.

My overburdened “Volkswagen engine” heart had reached its breaking point.

In that moment of terror, I heard God’s voice—not condemning but loving and compassionate, “It’s not supposed to be this way.” Those words pierced through my fear and gave me hope.

I decided then and there to exchange my weakness for God’s strength.

Later that week, at an appointment with my primary doctor, I wrote on the back of the appointment card: “Today is the day I turn my life around.”

That pivotal moment happened over 20 years ago.

Since then, I’ve shed 85 pounds by confronting emotional eating head-on. Around the same time as my health transformation began, I also took a class on managing money from a Biblical perspective. At the time, I had $19,000 in credit card debt. My goal was to pay it off in five years; by God’s grace and wisdom, I cleared it in just under four.

I applied those same principles of financial stewardship to caring for my body—treating it as something valuable entrusted to me by God.

Today, through my website Take Back Your Temple, I teach others how to embrace physical and Spiritual stewardship. I believe we care for what we truly value.

My prayer is that you too will trade your weakness for God’s strength—and share your testimony of His life-giving power with others!

Kimberly Taylor is an author and certified Christian life coach with a heart to help others struggling with emotional eating and weight loss. Once 240 pounds and a size 22, she can testify of God’s goodness and healing power to overcome. She lost 85 pounds as a result of implementing binge eating disorder techniques and Biblical principles.

Kim is the developer of “The Take Back Your Temple Program,” which teaches Christians how to overcome emotional eating and reach a healthy weight. She is also the author of the best-selling books “Overcoming Emotional Eating God’s Way” and “The Weight Loss Scriptures.” If emotional eating is your struggle, you can connect with Kim at her website at takebackyourtemple.com.

4 Comments

  1. Dorothy Grant on January 29, 2025 at 8:58 am

    I really appreciate today’s post.Struggling with my weight continues to be a journey. Realizing it’s not just about the weight but has been my comfort.

    • Jodi Snowdon on January 29, 2025 at 9:29 am

      Dorothy, Thank you so much for honestly sharing. I am praying for you and hope this post has encouraged you. God Bless, Jodi

    • Kim Taylor on January 29, 2025 at 10:14 am

      Hi Dorothy – thank you for your feedback! Yes, this is a journey – a healing one. I praise God that you are on it because, while it may not always be easy, it is always worth it. May the Lord continue to bless you as you honor your body as His temple and grow closer to Him as He changes you from the inside out. He is not a respecter of persons, so the healing He did for me, He can do for you! 🙂

      • Jodi Snowdon on January 29, 2025 at 10:16 am

        Thanks Kim for your beautiful words to Dorothy! I love that God doesn’t waste anything, but takes our struggles and hurts and uses them to help others along the journey! So appreciate your encouragement. God Bless, Jodi

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