Your Body Is A ...

"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?

For you have been purchased at a price. Therefore, glorify God in your body."

(1 Corinthians Ch 6:19-20)

I've been thinking about this scripture a lot recently. As I was growing up, I heard this phrase EVERYWHERE. But even though it popped up many times, I never really went deeper and applied it to my own life, mostly because 9-year-old me couldn't relate to being compared to a building. But speaking as a senior in high school, I can't tell you enough how invaluable it is to really take this phrase to heart:

 "Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you."

If you believe this, it will change your life. 

Once you start viewing your body as something sacred, it puts a different perspective on all of your actions. It will change how you look at yourself in the mirror, how you eat and move, and it will help you to recognize the inherent worth in others. Cool, right?

So why is the 'temple-ness'  of the body even relevant?  In answer, I would say that it's relevant because the body is being attacked today. Secular media encourages us to think that our bodies are not a reflection of our inner being, that we're just 'talking bodies,' and they can be used just like a wrench or a hammer can be used.

SIDENOTE: If you don't think there's an attack on the body and believe that the 'self-love' mantras of today are evidence of improvement in this area, just look at the statistics of how eating disorders in America have evolved over the years. According to The National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA),  the rate of development of new cases of eating disorders has been increasing since 1950 (Hudson et al., 2007; Streigel-Moore &Franko, 2003; Wade et al., 2011).  

If people are so content with themselves, why are there countless statistics like this one? 

There are so many ways that we can hurt our bodies. Eating disorders, body dysmorphia, self-harm (purposefully injuring ourselves), overeating + overindulging, taking hard drugs and alcohol in excess, etc.

These are obviously damaging habits, but there are more insidious ways that we damage our bodies every day. Things like negative self-talk, wasting time, being lazy, procrastinating,  not getting enough sleep or even filling our stomachs with junk food are insidious ways that we harm ourselves. 

Harming your body like that is not respecting it, and your body is worthy of respect.

With that said, take a moment right now and think about your relationship with your body.

mmmm. REAL FOOD.

Are you being kind to yourself and not beating yourself up about your tiny imperfections?

Are you feeding your body with real food and drink, and not settling for some processed substitute?

Do you maintain your body by exercising and getting out in nature? 

Do you get enough sleep or do you deprive yourself a good night's rest because of scrolling on the internet?

If you said yes to any of these things or even have struggled in the past with more serious body issues, that's okay. Starting today,  realize your own value and go from there. Start loving the body God gave you, look at it as a gift, and your life will change for the better.

It's a bit of a cliche, but you only get one body.

So GLORIFY Him with it!

Lots of love,

-Caroline.