My Heart, Christ's Home

1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy sprite who is in you, whom you have from god, and you are not your won? For you are bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body an din your spirit, which are God's.

I'll tell you in a few why this title isn't really correct.

Towards the end of last year, I started to experience a lot of health issues. Up to that point in time, I was an overall healthy young adult. Yes, I was under considerable stress, but, for me, I thought it was tolerable. The way that I've noticed that I handle stress is not by taking out on those around me, although if pushed to the limit I believe anyone is prone to snap. The way that my body deals with stress is by internalizing it, and I believe this is the absolutely worst way anyone could and should deal with stress. 

I won't go into much detail about everything, but I found out that because of stress and other sinful and quite neglectful habits that I picked up in college, my body began to harm itself. My hormones got out of whack, and late last year my doctor diagnosed me with ovarian cysts. After getting the orders that the only things to help me out were to lose unnecessary weight and eat healthy, I embarked on that mission. At first, I only wanted to lose about fifteen or twenty pounds, but by February this year I had already lost the fifteen pounds! As I kept exercising, the weight kept coming off - now up to thirty-five pounds worth of weight! 

If you looked at me today, I really don't exhibit many of the symptoms of this condition, but I still see the affects of it in my everyday life. The anxiety, worry, and some days complete depression of it seems to overtake me. None of this is physically healthy, and neither is it biblical.

In the Book of Romans, Paul writes the church in Rome, systematically and thoroughly breaking down the Gospel of Jesus Christ and its significance to us - then, now, and time to come. After fully explaining the Gospel, Paul writes in chapter 12:

"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." - Romans 12: 1 & 2

Our bodies aren't our own to change or modify, no matter what the world or our culture may dictate at this moment. I've always struggled with my weight my whole life, but that doesn't give me room to vandalize and destroy the body God has entrusted me to serve Him in. Our bodies are instruments used to glorify God, and until we truly get that into our heads and hearts, we'll continue the cycle of sin that can easily keep us bound. 

Within every situation you're in, there's always room to praise. Whether you're a little overweight, struggling with anxiety or depression, know that your body is ultimately God's temple and vessel for His service. 

SDG