What would you do if someone mistreated something you loaned them, something you valued? That’s what many of us do with our bodies, often without realizing it. In this article, discover how seeing your body as God’s temple changes how you treat it, and how His grace empowers you to care for it.
Recently, I was reading a nutritional article when I came across this photo of a garbage bag on a plate.
Shocking, isn't it?
The author wrote that many people complain of emotional instability, weight gain, low energy, and other negative symptoms because the foods they eat regularly is nutritional garbage!
Providing our bodies with low quality foods is the same as providing a builder with low quality materials.
Eventually, the person living in that property will have serious problems.
Respecting Another's Property
To make this clearer, imagine this: Suppose you owned a property. You've taken time to fix it up, paint, landscape, and make it look nice.
A lady approaches you about renting it. You agree and she becomes your tenant.
Some months later, you check on the property. But what is this?
The yard is overgrown. Trash is strewn all over. When you go inside, holes are in the walls and dirty dishes are in the sink.
Roaches are crawling everywhere. The tub and toilet look like they have never been cleaned.
The property that you took such care in restoring shows no sign of that now.
Would you say that your tenant appreciated your property? No.
The word "appreciate" means "to add value."
If the tenant appreciated the property, she would have maintained it.
Her actions would also have shown respect for you.
A Responsible Tenant
The mindset of a responsible tenant is wise concerning caring for our bodies.
After all, our bodies are our temporary residence while we are here on Earth.
Our bodies do not belong to us according to 1 Corinthians 6:19-20:
Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s."
While Paul was addressing sexual immorality here, the principle is the same.
Because our bodies do not belong to us, we care for them because we love and respect their Owner.
Our purpose is to finish our race well in the Lord. Why make our lives any harder than they have to be?
To me, that means to:
- Eat foods that make energy. The body doesn't require just calories for energy; it requires thousands of micronutrients to transform the food we eat into energy and support our health. Pills cannot supply us with all we need. God bundled them primarily into the foods He put on this Earth for us to enjoy (see Genesis 1:29).
- Limit the foods that drain energy. Most processed foods are made with shelf-life and manufacturer profits in mind, not for our body's benefit. Most of these foods take from us, but don't give anything back.
- Heal emotional eating God’s way. Recognizing and respecting my emotional needs, taking them to God for healing rather than numbing them with food.
- Exercise for strength and endurance. It is difficult to exercise for long if you don't give your body the proper fuel. Once you have your nutrition right, then you will have the energy to meet other life demands. You'll have the energy needed to run this race well.
Today, think about the landlord/tenant example.
Ask yourself: "What can I do to be a better tenant in this body that the Lord owns?"
The Lord not only gives us guidance on what to do but the power to do it.
God is about restoration, not condemnation. He is always available to help us get back on the right track, one step at a time.
A good place to start on your weight loss journey is to take out the trash and replace it with building materials that "appreciate" the property!