My body the temple?

"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own, you were bought at a price. Therefore, honor God with your body" -1 Corinthians 6:19-20

I have been under the weather for a week and not been able to exercise. My boys and I had strep throat and Luke broke his finger. It has been a week full of resting and trying to get better. A year ago, not being able to exercise would not have bothered me in the least. But now, I honestly feel that something is missing. I can see the negative effects in my body and my mood when I don't exercise. This is great progress for me.

I have never really understood the concept of my body as a temple. For many years I filled my body with unhealthy foods. Sugar, caffeine, and alcohol were regular parts of my diet. I hate to even write this because it is embarrassing, but I am certain that I was addicted to fast food. I would drop my boys off at preschool and hit up the nearest McDonald's for an egg mac muffin and a Coke. And I used to do this nearly every day. And at least once a week I would order cheese sticks from Pizza Hut. They were so yummy to me. My husband used to joke that my idea of heaven would definitely include cheesy bread. I would drink one Coke every day. I would limit myself to one, thinking that I was doing myself a favor by "only" having one. I would always indulge in dessert if it was available and I usually kept something sweet in the pantry closet. Are you getting the picture now? If you are feeling sick just reading about this, imagine what my body was feeling like by consuming all of this!

I wouldn't mention my McDonald's or Pizza Hut trips to my husband, or anyone else, unless I thought that they too were a fellow fast food junkie. It was rather embarrassing and so I wanted to hide it. I would never eat inside the restaurant. I would always take the junk to my car and eat alone. It was kind of an escape from the regular activities of my every day life. I couldn't see it then, but I was using food as an escape and depending on the food high to get me through the day. Instead of depending on God, I was depending on food.

Eventually, my body began to realize the effects of these poor choices. I found out that my blood pressure was high, as well as my cholesterol and triglyceride levels. My thyroid was not working and many of my vitamin levels were low. I was overweight and tired all of the time. I knew there was a better way, but could I find the self-control to make healthy changes?

I asked God for help. I am sure that He had been trying to make me see for a long time that I was slowly killing myself (yes, bad food choices actually will end up killing you!) I knew I was hurting myself, but I didn't understand that I was also hurting God. I saw for the first time that I was sinning. The negative effects of the food in my body also had a negative effect on my soul. I was not my best and therefore could not be of great service to God. I was not honoring Him with my choices. Christ died for our sins, and we were bought at a high price. Each time I put something bad into my mouth, I was destroying the very body that Christ died to save. Food was controlling me, not God.

A wonderful example in Scripture of the food we should consume can be found in the Book of Daniel. Daniel had been taken captive by King Nebuchandnezzar to Babylon. The King wanted Daniel and the other Israelites to forget God and serve The King of Babylon. The King chose him, as well as some other Israelites, to be trained for the King's service. He was to learn the language and literature of the Babylonians and be trained for 3 years. During this training, he had access to the royal food and wine but Daniel had resolved not to eat this food (which was not good for him). He was determined to eat only what God wanted for him. Even under great pressure, Daniel remained faithful to God's desire for him, and would not conform to the culture of Babylon. So Daniel pleaded with the guard that he and his friends be allowed to follow God's directive for them. Instead of indulging in food, they would indulge in prayer.

"Please test your servants for 10 days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat the royal food, and treat your servants in accordance with what you see...At the end of the ten days they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who at the royal food" -Daniel 2:12-15

Daniel did not compromise, he ate how God intended him to eat, and he was healthy and strong! Because Daniel lived his life as God taught him, he was able to be used by God to interpret dreams, face trials and relay visions from God Himself. God was using Daniel to show King Nebuchadnessar who the real King was. His life is a demonstration of many things, but a very important lesson that I took from Daniel is that making healthy food choices allows us to be of better service to God. When our physical bodies are strong, we position ourselves to have clear minds to hear from God and to be used by God.

So, does this mean that I drink nothing but water and eat only vegetables. I wish, but no. But I can say that I have made an effort to majorly clean up my diet and prioritize exercise. I limit processed foods. I see it as an indulegence, not a daily staple. I stopped drinking soda. I don't eat dessert after every meal. I try to get my full servings of fruits and vegetables each day. I have begun to see my body as God sees it, as a temple, and I am attempting to treat it as such. I am not perfect, but I don't let one or two bad choices knock me off the path. The result? Physically I have lost 30 pounds, my blood pressure is back to normal, as well as my cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Thank you God! But perhaps the best benefit of all is that while I feel physically stronger than ever, I also feel spiritually stronger! In this area of my life, I have tried my best to follow God's way, and I have been blessed for it. I have more energy to live my life, serve my family, and serve God! My body, the temple? Yes, God, I now see it!

The Gift of Sharing Yourself

I was encouraged by a friend today. She shared her heart with me and by doing so spoke truth into my life and provided me with encouragement, without even knowing it! Here is a bit of her story: My friend and her family were supposed to move out of the country to pursue a passion that God had long ago planted in their hearts.  They had prayed about whether to make the move and as everything fell into place, they felt like God was presenting them with an opportunity to see this vision come to fruition.

But all of the sudden, circumstances changed and the type of mission work they were supposed to be doing is no longer an option.  This came as quite a surprise and disappointment to my friend.  But although the circumstances around their work changed, the vision and calling to which God directed them has not.  It seems that they are no longer being asked to do what God is asking them to do.  However, instead of questioning God's calling for their lives or jumping into an opportunity that may not be right for them, they are staying loyal to the directive God has planted in their hearts. All the plans have already been made for them to make this big move and perhaps it would be easier for them to follow through with those plans. Yet, they are choosing to follow God and His plan for their lives, despite difficulties.  In other words, they are not going to compromise God's directive for them.  By prayerfully saying no to this particular opportunity, they are saying yes to God and His calling for them!  I am just excited to see what the next step is for them and what God has in store!

This message rings very true for me today. After our adoption plans fell through in January, we have been questioning whether God truly wants us to adopt. It would be easier to give up, to say, "Okay, God, you must not want this, so we will stop trying". I could be very comfortable and content with where we are right now.  And surely, the Enemy has certainly planted all kinds of doubts in my mind  (such as I am not worthy of such a calling).  I have also received advice that we should just try to get pregnant, why would we want to go through such a heart-wrenching journey?  But to give up on the desire God has laid on our hearts, even though the circumstances are confusing, feels disobedient to His calling for us.  Deciding to adopt was not a decision that we easily jumped into.  Admittedly,  I could have very easily because I love being a mother.  But God wisely used John to push the brakes.  We stopped and prayed, thought, discussed, and then prayed, thought and discussed some more.  Ultimately, we felt God nudging our hearts that this was the next right step for our family; God was calling us to adopt.

After we were chosen by the birth mother, John and I thought, talked, and prayed about what our daughter's name should be. We had a hard time agreeing on a name, but finally settled on Aliyah. After choosing this name, we later learned that Aliyah in Hebrew literlly means "ascent or going up from a lower to a higher state". Aliyah, in Hebrew, also refers to the journey of the Jewish people into the promised land of Israel. It took the Jewish people 40 years to make it to the promised land! And I am sure they felt like giving up and thowing in the towel. It would have been much easier to stop the journey, but it would have been disobedient to the path God was leading them, that He had lovingly prepared for them. And so this name has become a symbol of God's calling for us, a symbol of our spiritual growth and journey toward Him, as we move forward with this adoption.  And, of course, this name became even more special to us after the adoption fell through.  When circumstances do not work out the way we hoped or planned, we may feel as if we want to give up instead of enduring a struggle.  But if Paul would have given up after being imprisoned for spreading the good news of Jesus, God's purposes would not have been fulfilled.  Just think of how easy it would have been for him to say in one of his jail cells, "Oh well, looks like it's not meant to be, I can quit preaching now".  But thank God he remained faithful to God's calling for him through an uneasy journey.  If we remain connected to God and sincerely desire His purposes for our lives, we must continue with total dedication for that which He is calling us, no matter what the costs.

Sometimes we may feel confused about what God is calling us to do.  But if we are faithful in prayer and seeking Him, we can rest assured that he will direct our steps.  That is a glorious promise of God!

So, as my friend shared her heart, she ended up sharing much more than that. She gifted me with encouragement about my own situation and a gave me a reminder of why God calls us to be in community with His people.  We are to share our hearts with one another as we follow Him. As we share, we never know what purposes God has for our story.  Something that we are facing just might resonate with someone else and bless them.  It is risky to share yourself, and definitely makes you vulnerable, but if we trust God then we will not go wrong.

 And just as my friend and her husband are staying faithful to the calling that God has laid on their hearts, so John and I must remain steadfast to the calling God has laid on our hearts. Following God is usually not the easy way out, but as we trust Him and walk with Him, and continue in our faith, God will continue to be faithful to us.  On our journey to the promised land, we must be willing to bear the cross, not just the crown.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths" -Proverbs 3:5-6