"Real men don't care about their appearance or what they eat."
How it sounds in your head: You're vain if you think about nutrition or how you look. Just shut up and eat whatever. Caring about your body is feminine or narcissistic. Suck it up.
"Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's."
-- 1 Corinthians 6:19-20Enemy attack through toxic masculinity culture - twisting stewardship into shame.
Every gym bro seems obsessed and you don't want to be that guy. Your dad never talked about this stuff and he turned out fine, so why should you?
Daniel purposed in his heart not to defile himself with the king's food and asked for vegetables and water instead. After ten days, he and his friends looked HEALTHIER and BETTER nourished than all the young men eating the royal food - instant visible improvement.
I REFUSE the lie that caring about my body is vanity or weakness. IT IS WRITTEN that my body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, bought at a price. I am a steward, not a slave to food or shame. IT IS WRITTEN that I glorify God in my body. The BARAK blessing of Abraham is on my health, my strength, my vitality. I am the head and not the tail in every area - including how I fuel this temple. I honor what Christ purchased with His blood.
Your Father RAN toward you while you were still far off - He's not waiting for you to get shredded first. He's already placed His Spirit in you, making your body sacred ground, and He's cheering you on as you steward it well.