Treating my Body as a Temple

Hello,

Many of you who know me or follow me know that this is my second blog. My first one is about my journey from a Fat girl to a Fit girl. For the most part the journey was personal. It was to correct years of neglecting my body and my mind. They go hand in hand.

I ate horrible food. I ate mass amounts of it. I ate away my depression. I ate way my sorrow.

The phrase 'body as a temple" always felt weird to me. I never thought of it as a Biblical phrase. It was always used in a non-biblical terms. It sort of turned me off. I wasn't a Biblical Whiz, but I kept thinking of Exodus 20:3 "You shall have no other gods before me." I know it's not the same thing, but to me it was suggesting worshiping your body. Quite frankly the people who were using the phrase seemed to worship themselves above all else. 

And then two things happened at the same time.  The first is that I started to make healthy changes in my lifestyle. The second is that I began to read the Bible every day. I started a schedule to read the whole Bible in a year. I read a passage in 1 Corinthians about our bodies being temples of the Holy Spirit. Things clicked.  

In addition to working out regularly, I began to really focus on what I put into my body. I cut out the fat, grease, and sugar. I still falter, but I am so much healthier today than I was back then. The way I see it, God gave me this body and I abused it for years. I turned my back on the gift that He gave me.

I have a food addiction. I face temptation every day. Sometimes I feel like when I am feeling particularly strong in my relationship with God, those are the days that temptations are the strongest. It may sound small, but it feels like the Devil at work in my life. He is trying to make me weak. 

As diligent as I am with my workouts, I am just as diligent with my Rest Days. My Rest Day is Sunday. That is my day to Worship the Lord. My body needs rest and my faith needs nourishing. It's my day to focus on my relationship with God. 

When I drive to church on Sunday mornings I lose track of the number of runners and walkers I see outside. I have the itch. I want to be there too, but I am out there every other day. As much as it pains me to Rest, I have more important things to do.

So yes, I treat my body as a temple.  God Loves me and I want to show Him how much I appreciate all He has done for me.

*****

Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

-1 Corinthians 6:19-20