6 Ways To Appreciate Your Spouse’s Body As Created By God
I have seen how far many women go just to make their husbands appreciate their bodies and give them the attention they long for. I have watched friends and sisters spend copious hours changing one thing after another because they feel that who they are is not enough. Some go for skin lightening, waist training, endless makeup routines, padded clothes, heavy lashes, artificial nails, body shaping creams, extreme dieting, and even surgeries. Some women look at themselves askance in the mirror every morning, wondering why they do not measure up to a standard that was never meant to define them in the first place. Society has created a loud cacophony of expectations that tries to besmirch the beauty God intentionally placed in every woman.
Men are not left out either. Many men now chase approval through muscle-building supplements, fake accents, beards they keep grooming in a perpetual struggle to impress, forced fashion trends, height-increasing shoes, or even the pressure to look wealthy on the outside. Some men loudly confab with friends about how to look more attractive while secretly battling insecurities that irk their peace. We live in a generation where the world keeps shouting at couples that they must become a certain kind of person or else they will lose affection. But as a believer, I want to ingeminate the truth that God created our bodies intentionally and beautifully. We must return to a propitious place where couples appreciate one another the way God formed them. Scripture says we are fearfully and wonderfully made, and that alone should shape how we see ourselves and how we love our spouse (Psalm 139:14).
With this in mind, here are six simple and God-honoring ways to appreciate your spouse’s body the way God made it.
1. Celebrate Their God-Given Uniqueness Without Comparison
2. Speak Words of Affirmation About Their Bodies
3. Learn Their Insecurities and Cover Them With Love
4. Express Physical Affection Without Criticism
5. Appreciate Their Efforts Without Making it a Pressure
6. Acknowledge Their Bodies as God’s Creation and Honor it
1. Celebrate Their God-Given Uniqueness Without Comparison
When you appreciate your spouse, the first thing to do is to stop comparing them with others. God did not create your spouse to look like your neighbor or that celebrity. He created them to look like themselves, with a beauty that carries a divine signature. Some people treat their spouses like a bozo because they do not look like what is trending. But comparison destroys affection. It makes the one you love feel invisible and unworthy.
Learning to appreciate your spouse’s body means celebrating the shape of their eyes, their natural skin, their height, their hair, their smile, and everything God intentionally placed there.. Let your spouse feel seen and valued. Tell them they are beautiful or handsome because God made them that way. Speak life into them and remind them they are God’s masterpiece (Ephesians 2:10).
2. Speak Words of Affirmation About Their Body
Affirmation is powerful. God created words to build and restore. When you affirm your spouse, you remind them that they matter. Some people rarely hear positive things about themselves and it eats into their confidence. When you choose to use your words to bless your spouse, you strengthen their sense of worth.
Tell your wife her natural body is lovely. Tell your husband his strength and appearance are admirable. Even if society tries to diminish them, your voice can lift them. Avoid words that belittle or demean. Speak with gentleness and sincerity. There is something deeply healing about hearing appreciation from the one you love. A soft answer brings peace and draws hearts together (Proverbs 15:1).
3. Learn Their Insecurities and Cover Them With Love
Every person has something about their body they are not comfortable with. Some hide it. Some talk about it. Others pretend it does not bother them, but deep inside, they feel exposed. One of the greatest gifts you can offer in marriage is the confidence that your spouse is safe with you. Create an atmosphere where your spouse can talk without fear. Let them share what makes them feel insecure. Do not look askance at their concerns. Listen with compassion.
When you understand their insecurities, cover them with love, not shame. If your wife worries about her weight or her skin, comfort her. If your husband worries about his height or strength, reassure him. Tell them you love them entirely and unconditionally. Love covers, protects and strengthens. Love does not mock or make fun of weakness. The Bible teaches that perfect love casts out fear (1 John 4:18).
4. Express Physical Affection Without Criticism
Touch is a language that speaks without words. When you appreciate your spouse’s body, show affection freely. Hold hands, hug, place your head on their shoulder, run your fingers through their hair, rest your hand on their back and let them feel valued. Some people withdraw affection because they are not satisfied with how their spouse looks, and this leads to distance, suspicion, and emotional emptiness.
God created affection as a propitious gift to strengthen marriage. Physical connection assures your spouse that they are loved and accepted. Avoid complaining or criticizing their body during intimacy. Instead, express gratitude for the partner God gave you. Appreciate their physical presence. Make them feel wanted. The body of your spouse is not a mistake. It is a gift. Scripture calls both husband and wife to love one another deeply and sincerely (Ephesians 5:28).
5. Appreciate Their Efforts Without Making It a Pressure
Your spouse will make efforts to look good for you. Appreciate the effort, but do not turn it into pressure. Many people keep doing things to meet impossible expectations because they fear rejection. Tell your wife you value her natural beauty even when she makes herself up. Tell your husband you appreciate his style even when he changes it. Encourage, do not demand.
Permit your spouse to rest. Allow them to be real. Do not start complaining about what you want them to become. Words like that besmirch the soul and place a weight God did not design. Encourage your spouse from a place of love, not comparison or dissatisfaction. When you appreciate their efforts while assuring them they are valued even without those efforts, you create peace in your home. A loving and gentle spirit brings beauty that lasts (1 Peter 3:3-4).
6. Acknowledge Their Body as God’s Creation and Honor It
The most important way to appreciate your spouse’s body is to see it as God’s creation. If God formed them, then you must honor what He created. The human body is not an accident or a mistake. It carries divine intention. Treat the body of your spouse with tenderness and respect. Do not mock their shape or size. Do not dismiss their concerns. Do not let anger or carelessness irk your desire toward them.
Prayer also helps. Pray for your spouse’s physical and emotional well-being. Pray for acceptance and peace. When you see your spouse as God sees them, appreciation becomes natural. Look at your spouse as a precious treasure entrusted to you. The Bible reminds us that the body is fearfully made and deserves honor (Psalm 139:14). Honor brings unity. Unity brings joy.
Conclusion
We live in a world filled with noise, pressure, and false expectations. A world where people are constantly told they must look a certain way before they can be loved or valued. But marriage is different. Marriage is a covenant of acceptance, grace, and celebration. Your spouse does not need to look like someone else to deserve love. They simply need to be who God created them to be.
When you embrace these six simple steps, you create a home where love is safe, where hearts are open, where insecurities fade, and where both husband and wife can grow confidently. Appreciation is not about perfect bodies. It is about perfect love for an imperfect person. It is about seeing God’s creation and valuing it with gratitude, compassion, and joy.
Honor your spouse. Celebrate their natural beauty. Speak life. Show affection. Remove pressure. Value their uniqueness. When you do this, you strengthen your marriage and bring glory to God.
Love begins to flourish when you appreciate what God created.
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