Beautiful Freedom

Courtney Reissig

To be a modern woman is to struggle with how we look. We’re confronted with images of beauty, ideas about what to eat, and our own internal struggles with our bodies. In Beautiful Freedom, Stacy Reaoch diagnoses and gives the solution to our ever-compounding struggles with body image. If you think you’re immune to this, Stacy shows how it impacts everyone. But even more helpfully, she points to the path towards freedom—where we see everything we have as a gift from God to be stewarded for his glory.

David Mathis

Many today are turning new attention to our bodies and the very practical issues of exercise, aging, and what we eat and how much—but few provide deeply Christian counsel. Stacy Reaoch knows the perils of our pendulum swings between apathy and obsession, but even more, she wants to help readers to find not just ‘balance’ but deep and enduring joy in Jesus, with genuine love for others. She sees these important issues in light of our ultimate reality, which enables her to meet our pressing need for wisdom, rather than scratch the itch for quick and easy answers.

“Helpful but not for everyone”

This book has some helpful points and summary questions at the end of each chapter to help us apply the book. There are good and biblical truths to diagnose and treat areas of putting the body above the Lord.
However, as someone with a history of an eating disorder I found there were so many examples about going to the gym etc that I ended up feeling guilty and wishing I could do more exercise. I would urge caution for anyone currently battling or with a history of an ED.

“A Growing Relationship with God”

What does the Bible have to say about beauty? In Beautiful Freedom, Stacy Reaoch shows how the Bible shapes our views of appearance, food, and fitness.


Fitness, Health, and Beauty

A small, short book at less than 150 pages – it is a quick and encouraging read. As Christians, our approach to fitness, health, and beauty needs to be different.

In defining beauty, Reaoch begins by helping us understand that when we think about God’s beauty, it comes down to his character. Christians reflect God’s beauty to others. Reaoch uses the story of Ruth to show that true beauty is displayed through our hearts.


Remaining Happy in Christ

Some worship our own bodies, and this is worship gone wrong. And unlike our bodies, only God’s kingdom will last. That being said, rest and exercise are still ways to care for our own bodies and serve others well.

Motivations for exercise include being ready for every good work, being able to share Jesus, and remaining happy in Christ. Reaoch also writes on eating healthy and overindulgence.


A Growing Relationship with God

The book ends by exhorting us to fight the fear of aging by focusing on a growing relationship with God. In every area of beauty, there is freedom found in Christ.


I received a media copy of Beautiful Freedom and this is my honest review.

“refreshing truths”

“Our bodies are good, God made them that way! But even knowing that, its surprisingly easy to become worries and dissatisfied about our diet, our looks our exercise routine or our health. This book is an invitation to reset. With the help of Gods word, we can escape the worries that weigh us down. We can start thinking about appearance, food and fitness in a fresh way— in a Jesus centered way.”

What I loved in this book: I really loved finding a Christian perspective on topics of fitness and health. This year I started in January on a health journey and was excited to read this book. Stacey touches on a lot of topics with a biblical view of how we should approach appearance, food and fitness. She truly has a heart for women and wanting them to focus on Christ rather than ourselves and how we look. This world we live in is very focused on appearances and it was a refreshing perspective for me.

What I didn’t particularly love: I felt like the book lacked a little depth. I would have loved to dig deeper into scripture when visiting each subject.

Overall a good book that offers a fresh look on things the world often puts a lot of emphasis on and how we can view ourselves through the eyes of Christ and how He made us.

“A Helpful Resource for Christian Women”

In the Introduction, the author shares: “My prayer for you, as you read this book, is that God will grant you new eyes to see your body the way he sees it—as a gift to enjoy and to steward for his glory. I hope that you will start to find freedom from the fears and concerns that weigh you down, and confidence in his sovereign work that knitted you together. And I pray that you will be inspired to love God more. Our Creator is the true source of beauty—fixing our hope on him will never disappoint.”

I love the heart behind her prayer, and I love that Beautiful Freedom is a book that invites women to trust God with all their bodily concerns and to walk in the freedom and joy that can only be found in Jesus Christ.

I also appreciate the questions at the end of each chapter; the stories that she shares throughout—her own as well as others—that most women can relate to or empathize with; how she clearly presents the gospel and all throughout points her readers’ eyes to God; and the chapters where she presents what the Bible says about exercise, food restrictions, overindulgence, and beauty and aging.

Where this book falls short for me is in depth. Though the author does share biblical wisdom and truth, there were times when I wished she would have delved deeper into what the Word says and fleshed out some of her statements more.

Overall, I believe there are some good truths and nuggets of wisdom for women to walk away with.

Thank you, The Good Book Company, for my copy of Beautiful Freedom in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

(Star Rating: 3.25 stars)

“Biblical, Nuanced, and Helpful”

In this book, Stacy Reaoch explores tough topics about body image, food, and exercise through a biblical lens. In the first part of the book, Reaoch gives examples of common struggles that women have, and she writes about how a biblical perspective on beauty and our true purpose can flip the script. In the second part of the book, she explores biblical approaches to exercise, food restrictions, overindulgence, spiritual practices of fasting, and aging. There is also an appendix that includes more information about eating disorders, along with recommended next steps for getting help.

This book covers multiple topics in a helpful, holistic way. I appreciate how the author shares examples from her own life and women she knows, representing a variety of different viewpoints and struggles. This book doesn't make harsh or oversimplified judgments, and acknowledges some of the varying motivations and reasons behind people's different approaches to food and exercise. Reaoch encourages people to pursue the eating and exercise habits that are right for their body and circumstances, as long as they are submitting all of this to God and not looking to their health habits to provide them with their identity, their meaning in life, or a form of salvation. Even though some readers will disagree with the author on various things, she is deliberately nuanced and makes space for people's different health needs and personal convictions.

"Beautiful Freedom" is a great primer and conversation-starter about an important topic, and because the author includes reflection and discussion questions at the end of each chapter, this will be great for people to read individually, in study groups, or in partnership with a friend or mentor. I would recommend this to people who recognize a need for growth in this area, or who want to better understand and support loved ones in their struggles.

Note: I received a free copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

“Helps Women Find Biblical Balance”

Beautiful Freedom is the latest book by author and pastor’s wife, Stacy Reaoch. This book helps women gain a biblical understanding of what it looks like to walk in freedom in the areas of appearance, fitness, and food. As one who’s wrestled with wanting to honor God in all of these areas, I found Beautiful Freedom incredibly helpful. Reading the book was so timely for me because as I began it, I endured the worst stomach virus I’ve ever experienced. While I aim to exercise thirty minutes a day, five days a week, the book was a helpful reminder that there are times when rest needs to be the priority.

Even with exercising consistently, a battle has been birthed in my heart between wanting to lose weight to alter my appearance to what the world deems desirable and wanting to steward my health as an act of worship. I’ve had to remind myself that when it comes to my health, success looks like faithfulness, not results. I felt like Stacy’s words were helping me by reminding me that the ultimate aim of all I do related to appearance, fitness, and food ought to be an act of worship.

Beautiful Freedom is a great resource for women wanting to cultivate a balance between what’s external and what’s eternal. It is full of reminders of the gospel and often points readers back to who they are in Christ. The book is short coming in at just 129 making it perfect to read individually or as a group. Each chapter concludes with questions for discussion that are also helpful to consider individually or in a group setting. If you are a Christian woman who’s struggled with finding a biblical way to relate to appearance, food, and fitness, I highly recommend reading Beautiful Freedom.

“A Helpful Primer on an Often Ignored Subject”

Some subjects are written about constantly in Christian publicising, but appearance, food and fitness are definitely not those subjects! Even as a man (when this book feels primarily aimed at women), I found this book very helpful to think about why we should care about our fitness and what we eat, without making those things our idols! Chapters 4-7 are particularly helpful in setting out biblical views for each of the subjects (including overeating and ageing) and how we can apply those to our lives. Definitely recommend!

“Reminders of God's Good Gifts”

If you're looking for a Gospel-centered approach to body image, this book is a great starting place. It's a short book, so there's nothing in-depth. However, that doesn't mean that it skimps on theological reasoning for how we should approach aging, exercise, & food. I especially appreciated how the author kept reminding the reader of God's good gifts & having a proper view of these topics as such is so important. In the appendix & notes, you can find other resources for deeper study or for analyzing if you need to seek professional help to manage disordered thinking. Overall, a great resource to have on hand when looking for direction in those ever-present body image questions.

“Valuable Resource”

"Beautiful Freedom" offers a refreshing perspective on health and body image by centering it around biblical teachings. Stacy Reaoch guides readers to break free from the pressures of societal standards and embrace a balanced approach rooted in faith. With insightful reflections and practical advice, this book is a valuable resource for anyone seeking liberation from harmful narratives about appearance and wellness.

I received a copy of this book from The Good Book Company in exchange for an honest review.