Ep. 141 || Body After Baby: Moms Share How The Gospel Changes Their Perspective

Oct 16

Stretch marks, loose skin, and under-eye circles—oh my! Many moms stand a little awkwardly before the mirror, examining their postpartum bodies. We may know the world’s standard isn’t a true one, but how do we find peace with our new bodies? In this episode, Emily and Laura invite five women to share how the gospel changes their outlook on their postpartum bodies. While we’re tempted to focus on what we think our bodies should be today, the gospel reminds us that our hope isn’t in our flesh. Instead, these bodies reminds us that our hope is in Jesus alone—who willingly bore our sins, scarring his perfect body to give us life. This hope gives us grateful hearts, so we can care for and steward the body we have today as a vessel for good works.

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If you’re reading Risen Motherhood while listening to the show this week, check out chapter nine: The Gospel and Postpartum Body Image.

Ladies on this Show:

[2:53] Andrea Burke is the Director of Women's Ministry at Grace Road Church in Rochester, NY. She writes and teaches regularly for women and also lends a voice to cultural issues by co-hosting The Good Enough Podcast. She's married to the quintessential Vermont man, Jedediah, and they are raising two kids in an old farmhouse on a couple of acres with cherry trees and gardens outside of Rochester, New York. You can follow her on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. You can also find her writing at For The Church and her own site andreagburke.com.

[6:15] Jill Atogwe her husband Oshiomogho live in Dallas, Texas with their two young children. She is a stay-at-home mom that fills every minute of the fringe hours with illustrating, writing, and creating content for her lifestyle blog Gold and Graphite. Her mission is to work heartily as unto the Lord with each passion and person he brings in her life. You can follow along with Jill on Instagram or on her blog.

[9:46] Maggie Combs is a wife, mom of three busy boys, writer, and speaker. When motherhood overwhelmed her, God drew her closer to him through writing her first book, Unsupermommy: Release Expectations, Embrace Imperfection, and Connect to God’s Superpower. You may have seen her before at The Gospel Coalition, Risen Motherhood, Revive Our Hearts, The Journeywomen Podcast, and more. She likes to write about God's enduring hope in the face of motherhood's overwhelming circumstances at www.unsupermommy.com or on Instagram and Facebook.

[12:39] Ruth Chou Simons is a bestselling author, entrepreneur, and speaker. She shares her journey of God’s grace intersecting daily life with word and paintbrush through an online shoppe at GraceLaced.com and her Instagram community of more than a hundred thousand. Ruth and her husband, Troy, are grateful parents to six boys—their greatest adventure. Ruth is the author of Beholding and Becoming: The Art of Everyday Worship, and GraceLaced, which won a 2018 Christian Book Award.

[17:32] Betsy Gómez is a blogger and speaker with a passion to help others savor the gospel. She is the Creative Director for Aviva Nuestros Corazones (Revive Our Hearts Hispanic Outreach), and she hosts their podcast for young Spanish-speaking women, Joven Verdadera. Originally from the Dominican Republic, she now lives in Irving, Texas, where her husband, Moises, serves as the Spanish pastor at First Irving Church. They have two boys and a girl on the way. You can find her on Instagram or at her website.

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We’re grateful to Moody Publishers for making this week’s show possible. Grab your copy of Bible and Breakfast by Asheritah Ciuciu. This 31-day devotional combines rich devotions with easy breakfast recipes, so you can feed your body and soul—together.

R|M Apply Questions:

Postpartum bodies look different for everyone, as do our responses. How do you view your postpartum body? What do you love about it? What do you struggle with?
We regularly need to preach the gospel to ourselves. How would you explain “bodies” through the creation-fall-redemption-consummation framework we use weekly on the show?
God remembers our frame: that we were made from dust and headed towards dust. This could sound like a defeating reality, but it’s actually very encouraging. How does your weakened body help you hope in what’s everlasting and perfect?
Christ willingly gave up his body to produce new life in us. His glorified body still showed signs of his suffering on our behalf. Does this change the way you view pregnancy and childbirth? How?
Ultimately, we’re longing for a new heaven and earth, and a perfect, glorified body. Every stretch mark or saggy reminder on our bodies graciously reminds us that what’s temporary is fading, but what is eternal will be our forever. What does God promise will be everlasting? How does his love change your view on your postpartum body?

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