Body Image, Burnout, and the Bible with Whit Lowe
Audio Transcript
Justine:
Hey friends, welcome back to the podcast. I’m so excited to have Whitney back with us today. You may remember her from a previous episode—she’s a speaker, writer, and author, and she just released her new book, Hard Is Not the Same Thing as Bad.
Whitney, welcome back!
Whitney:
Thanks so much for having me, Justine. I'm so excited to be here again.
Justine:
I loved our first conversation, and I just knew I had to have you back. Your new book is amazing. I devoured it!
It’s called Hard Is Not the Same Thing as Bad, and I feel like that phrase alone is one we need tattooed on our foreheads as Christians. Just that reminder—it’s so powerful.
So I’d love for you to start by just sharing: Why this book, and why now?
Whitney:
Yes! Well first, thank you so much. That means a lot to hear.
This book really came from a phrase I used to repeat to myself during a hard season in motherhood. I had two under two, I was barely sleeping, and everything felt overwhelming. I remember one night, I was standing in the nursery, bouncing a screaming baby, and just thinking, “This is so hard.”
But then I said out loud, “Just because it’s hard doesn’t mean it’s bad.” And I realized—that was true. It didn’t mean I was doing something wrong, or that I’d missed God’s will, or that He wasn’t with me. It was just hard. And hard things can still be holy things.
That phrase became an anchor for me in that season. And as I started talking about it, I realized—this is something a lot of people resonate with. Not just moms. Anyone going through something difficult.
So the book really unpacks what it means to have a biblical perspective on pain, difficulty, and suffering. Because our culture doesn’t handle pain well. We’re told to avoid it at all costs or numb it away. But the Bible tells a different story. And I wanted to explore that.
Justine:
So good. I love that it was something God gave you in real time. And it’s true—our culture doesn’t make room for struggle. Especially in the church, we sometimes equate blessing with ease. Like if something’s hard, it must not be from God. But that’s not what Scripture shows us.
Whitney:
Exactly. Look at the life of Jesus! His obedience led Him straight into suffering. Not because He was doing something wrong, but because He was doing everything right.
I think we forget that. We think God’s favor will feel like comfort and ease. But often, it’s in the fire that He refines us and reveals Himself the most.
Justine:
Yes! And we’ve got to hold on to that. That’s why I think this message is so important.
Let’s talk about some of the practicals. In the book, you break down different areas where we can apply this truth—our identity, our calling, our relationships, and our circumstances. Which one of those do you think people wrestle with the most?
Whitney:
Oh man, I think it really depends on the person and the season. But I’ve seen a lot of people wrestle deeply with identity.
We’re so quick to define ourselves by what we do, what people say about us, or what we’ve been through. But if our identity isn’t rooted in Christ, everything else starts to feel unstable.
And when life gets hard, that’s when those identity cracks start to show. We think, “If I’m struggling, maybe I’m not enough. Maybe I’m doing something wrong.” But if we know who we are in Christ, we can face hard things without losing ourselves.
Justine:
That’s so true. And that’s one of the biggest tactics of the enemy, right? If he can get us to forget who we are, we’ll live defeated even though victory is already ours.
Whitney:
Yes! And that’s why I’m so passionate about this conversation. Because when we understand who God is, and who we are in Him, everything else changes.
We can face hardship, not because we’re strong, but because He is. We can keep going, not because we have all the answers, but because we know the One who does.
That’s the foundation we need."
Justine:
What does that even mean, right? There are so many blurred lines. And so we don’t even want to delve into that. But I think if we took the time to explore who we really are in Christ—everything He says about us, everything we have simply because we’re in Him—it would shape every other area of our lives. It would transform us in ways we wouldn't expect. I think we take that for granted.
Is there an area where you feel like you wrestle more than others when it comes to those four categories?
Whitney:
You know, it really varies season to season. And honestly, I think they’re all pretty interwoven. Like I said, if you have a scarcity mindset—believing God doesn’t have enough for you or can’t provide the way He has for others—that filters into everything. It becomes hard to enjoy anything, especially when it comes to your identity.
But I’d say in this season, I’ve been wrestling with my own capacity. I know it’s not all up to me. I know it’s not all my responsibility. I know that God is going to multiply my little bit and redeem my best effort. But it’s hard—when you’ve got little kids with constant needs and to-do list items coming at you a mile a minute—not to feel like you’ve failed just because you didn’t check all the boxes.
So, for me, it’s about maintaining a healthy relationship with those burdens and lists, and really keeping the right focus: “God, You give me my assignments. Anything beyond that, I can release.” That’s been a dance.
And what’s important to me, especially in conversations like these, is remembering—I’m not the expert. I haven’t figured it all out. I haven’t just magically set my gaze on Jesus and now everything’s perfect and I’m always happy. It’s definitely a process. I think for everyone, some of these things will feel like a warm hug—like, “You’re okay because God’s on the throne”—and some will be a wake-up call. Like, “Hey, there’s some pride here, and you need to surrender.”
And I’ve had both. Some days, God just affirms that He’s got it all in His hands. Even today, a few things landed in my inbox that were like, “What?!” Total surprises. But then there are other areas where I’m still wrestling, still trying to take back control.
That’s the journey we’re all on. But I think we need each other—not just to hold one another accountable, but to help lift each other’s gaze when we get stuck in the weeds.
Justine:
Oh my gosh, so good. And I love that you used the word “dance” because it really is. Sanctification is like one step forward, two steps back. We want it to look neat and linear, like this steady movement in one direction, but that’s not how it works.
And I think once you realize that walking with God is messy—and it’s messy because we’re sinners—you also see how much we need grace. I talk about this so much on my podcast, but it’s because I’m so passionate about it. We live in a shame-based culture. You talk about this in your book too. Just look at Instagram comments. Everyone’s opinions are so loud. Everyone’s so critical. There’s this combative spirit, the cancel culture, condemnation—it’s all constant.
And while that’s normal for the world, we as Christians are still swimming in it because we’re on social media too. So we start to believe that same kind of shame and perfectionism is meant for us. And we forget about God’s abundant grace.
I love reminding people of this: When you feel like a failure, when it’s been a week and you’ve “sucked” at being a Christian—He is still right there. His throne of grace is wide open. We’re the ones who shut ourselves off.
Even recently, I was reading—actually, I think it was Nancy Guthrie who pointed this out—but she talked about Adam and Eve in the garden. As soon as they sinned, their first instinct was to hide. And that’s what we do too. We hide from God when we mess up instead of running to Him. That mentality is so present in Christian culture right now: “I have to be enough. I have to measure up. I have to bring something to the table.” And God’s like, “No, you don’t.”
Whitney:
Yes! And that’s legalism, right? I think a casual definition of legalism is taking God’s burdens on ourselves—or putting them on other people.
And to your point about Instagram comments, the world often wants to accuse the church of being full of rules and judgment. But some of the harshest criticism I’ve faced on social media is from unchurched people who have zero interest in faith. There’s a legalism there too: “Be perfect. Do better. You’re not enough.” It’s everywhere.
We do it to ourselves, too. Even when it comes to devotionals, there’s this mindset like, “If I don’t study God’s Word this specific way, then God won’t meet me in it. He won’t work through it.” And that’s just us placing limits on what God can do.
But if your heart posture is, “God, I believe You are a good Father who loves me and wants me to flourish,” and you’re willing to let go of control over what that flourishing looks like—then He can do anything in your life.
It’s like what you said earlier—showing up with effort. Saying, “God, here are my loaves and fishes. I’m burnt out, I’m exhausted, I don’t have an hour to spare, but here I am. Teach me something.” That’s the heart posture He honors.
It’s not about checking all the boxes. It’s about knowing Him to be gracious—and letting that transform everything else.
Justine:
I love that so much. And I could go on a million tangents, but I won’t—we’re staying on track!
One of the things I knew I wanted to talk about when I got your book—and just from following you and seeing some of the reels you’ve shared recently—is body image.
Because this is everywhere in our culture. It’s loud on social media. Not just the “snatched” culture, but also this counter-movement of body positivity that’s constantly talking about our bodies. Constantly bringing them up. And sometimes, it feels like even that becomes a kind of glorification of the body that feels… off.
So I’d love to hear from you—because you’ve personally struggled in this area, and you talk about it in the book—how has your perspective on body image shifted? From the time you were walking through an eating disorder, to now—as a mom of two and someone who’s grown and matured?
Whitney:
Yeah, I’m thinking of a quote someone shared with me recently that feels really relevant here. I don’t know the source, and I might not get it exactly right, but it was something like:
“Self-hatred is just failed self-worship.”
And I think that’s exactly what we’re seeing in our culture. On one hand, we idolize our bodies—we glorify them and say, “You’re perfect. Nothing’s wrong with you.” And while I see the heart behind that—wanting to accept ourselves and not live in shame—it’s theologically untrue. Our physical bodies are fallen and broken.
On the flip side, if we fixate on those flaws and don’t let God speak into them, we end up consumed by insecurity and self-hatred.
Eating disorders are such a vivid picture of that. You’re literally being consumed by your own self-destruction. I remember thinking, “I just want to be smaller. I don’t care what it takes.” You’re sacrificing everything on the altar of how the world says you should look.
And while a lot of that is culture’s fault, I can also look back and see the little compromises I made—the little moments of agreement with the enemy. I thought, “I know this isn’t good, but I’ll just put God over here for now.” You think you’re on a merry-go-round you can get off anytime, but really, you’ve jumped on a runaway train.
By the time you realize it, you’re so far from who you thought you were. That was my story. But God was gracious. He taught me so much—about sin, about the lies of the world, about what really satisfies.
And what’s been cool about becoming a mom is that my lived experience has affirmed all of that. God made my body to do something beautiful. I partnered with Him in creating life. That’s amazing.
So yeah, I still struggle sometimes. But when I look to God’s purposes for my body, I’m no longer crushed by every imperfection. I’m no longer buying what the world is selling.
It’s all about keeping your eyes on the right thing.
Justine:
Yeah. Well, it all goes back to how all these topics are so interwoven. Like you said earlier, if you get on social media and see someone who’s way ahead of you, that thought creeps in—Why not me? It becomes a matter of reminding yourself: Where is my energy going? Where is my identity rooted?
But it also takes humility. You have to be willing to say, “That’s not the path I’m on. That’s not what the Lord has for me.” Because if you’re too full of yourself, or too in control, and unwilling to surrender, it becomes really hard to say, It’s okay. This is the path the Lord has me on, and it’s okay that it looks different.
They’re all so interconnected. And I think that flows right into my next question, because a lot of this comes back to contentment—which ties into scarcity and abundance, of course.
Contentment is such a difficult place to get to, especially in our culture. That’s part of the theme of this podcast: this habit of discontentment. We want to act like hustle culture isn’t a problem anymore, especially post-COVID. We see sourdough videos and homemaking content—visually, it looks like we’ve slowed down. But are we not still trying to keep up with the Joneses by doing just that? Aren’t we still trying to make our lives look a certain way?
We’re still not content. Not with our kitchens, not with our bodies, not with our season.
So I wanted to ask you—because I know your heart is for the anxious, burned out, discontent person—what advice would you give to someone who’s struggling to find true contentment in Christ? Whether it’s with their body image, career, or season of life?
Whitney:
Yeah. One verse that’s come up throughout my life and also during the writing process for this book—though I couldn’t quote it every single time—is John 10:10: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”
I think the first question we need to ask as followers of Jesus is: Do I believe that? Do I really believe that the only true contentment, joy, and abundance is found in Jesus Christ? And that all the other stuff—the striving, the comparison—is actually stealing abundance from me?
First, we have to get our heads and hearts around that truth. Then we can begin organizing our lives accordingly.
God’s path to abundance might include ups and downs. It might involve seasons of feeling lost or confused or deeply discontent. But in those moments, can you still trust Him to bring abundance?
I believe God often leads us through what feel like scarce, dry, and empty seasons. But the beautiful thing is, He never leaves us on our own. He doesn’t say, “Tough it out, and one day I’ll make it easy.” He gives us nourishment in the wilderness. He provides manna in the desert. He gives us joy and sustenance, even in places that seem miserable from the outside.
If we allow God to meet us in those moments, we’ll find abundance is still there.
So I would encourage people to really sit with John 10:10 and reflect on the “life to the full” that Jesus offers. Also, ask yourself: What if God doesn’t give me the future I imagined? Is He still good? Can I trust that He will satisfy my heart in Himself?
The answer is yes. But we need to spend time with that reality to approach our lives with the surrender necessary to find joy in Jesus.
Justine:
Yeah, that’s really, really good. We had a girl speak at our church once who became paralyzed in high school from a disease. You may have seen her on social media. I had seen her before, and when she came to speak, she talked about this exact thing.
She said, “I was a follower of Jesus, and when I became paralyzed, I kept waiting for the victory story. The redemption story.” She was expecting that breakthrough to come.
And she said, “I kept hearing about abundance and joy and fullness in the Bible—but I wasn’t experiencing it.” But then she shared that it was in the suffering—in the discouragement and confusion—that Jesus met her.
We think we need to get through the suffering to experience joy and victory. But she said no—joy is in the suffering, victory is in the suffering—because of the hope we have in Christ.
Like you said, it comes down to trusting that God will meet us there, that He has a plan, and that He does intend to redeem us. And of course, we ultimately have the hope of glorification—new bodies, eternity with Him. But even now, on this side of heaven, maybe He’s brought us to these moments just to have more of us. To have our presence, our prayers, our trust.
Because often, we spend the most time on our knees in the hard seasons. And I love that—He just wants us. That was so good.
Whitney:
That’s so good. I think we often see our lives as building toward some final destination—a moment when everything feels good and complete. And then, we’ll experience God’s abundance.
But the final victory is in heaven.
We get glimpses of that victory now, but not the full picture. And how we define “victory” really reveals what we believe about God. If we expect full healing tomorrow or complete financial restoration next week—or else God isn’t good—then we’re misunderstanding His timeline.
Yes, God does promise restoration and abundance—but in the context of eternity, not just our 80 or so years on earth.
So we need to stay focused on the grand arc of God's redemptive story, not just the micro-details of our daily lives. There’s so much peace in placing ourselves in His big story—and so much anxiety in trying to center everything around our own.
That’s really my heart behind the whole book. And I’m so glad you shared that story—such a beautiful reminder.
Justine:
That’s a great place to land. Solid. Okay—so, finally, tell us where we can find you, when the new book comes out, and anything else you want to add.
Whitney:
Yes! I’m mostly on Instagram, @whitneypearsonlowe. It used to be @scrabblediamonds—I recently changed it, which was kind of scary!
And my book, Set Your Eyes Higher: A 40-Day Reset to Slow Your Anxiety and Fix Your Focus on God, launches September 24. It’s available for pre-order now, and I’m so grateful for anyone who wants to read it.
Justine:
Awesome! I’ll make sure to link everything in the show notes. Thank you so much for chatting with me—this has been so good.
Whitney:
It’s been so great. I feel like we’re kindred spirits! It’s such a joy to talk with you, Justine. Thanks for having me.
Order Whitney’s book: https://tr.ee/2J_bEC1lxZ
Follow Whitney on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whitneypiersonlowe/
More about Set Your Eyes Higher:
Americans spend an average of seven hours and three minutes online every day, according to DataReportal. Social media algorithms are designed to keep users returning to their phones for a seemingly endless cycle of information, and the increasing dependence on phones and devices is working – Americans spend an average of four hours and twenty-five minutes a day on a smartphone, according to Reviews.org. Yet despite living in the information age, many people increasingly report that life feels like it makes less sense, and research has found that that excessive screen time can have a substantial negative impact on both physical and mental well-being. Whitney Lowe witnessed this negative impact firsthand: not only did she suffer physical pain from straining her neck to constantly look down at a device, social media also compounded her insecurity and anxiousness. Whitney knew she needed to set her gaze somewhere else— somewhere up and out.
Set Your Eyes Higher: A 40-Day Reset to Slow Your Anxiety and Fix Your Focus on God (Zondervan Gift, September 24, 2024) by Whitney Lowe is a 40-day reset that will help you let go of what's not serving you, honor your limitations, and turn your gaze toward a God who loves who you are and who you're becoming in Him.
