You are valuable! You ARE the temple of the Holy Spirit who lives within you. God has given this house to you. You are not your own and neither am I. We have been purchased at a high cost, the blood of Jesus! We must give honor to God with our bodies. (my paraphrase of 1 Corinthians 6:19)
Joyce Meyer has given her life in testimony and as encouragement to help all of us attain what God desires for us. As she reminds us, we can’t do this if we do not keep our bodies working properly. We need to make wise choices so that we don’t become sick and unable to serve our Father who loves us so. But where do we begin?
Well, I’ve been on and off like a light switch, as I’m sure many of you have. It’s easy not to think about our health when our bodies are young and working. But as we make poor choices in diet, exercise, work and rest our bodies have a way of reminding us that we have been neglectful of this home our spirit lives in. When our bodies begin to become a distraction, we cannot recognize God’s presence as readily and we cannot experience the joy He has for us to the degree He wants us to know it! Peace does not reign in our bodies when we have to get up in the night because of pain and stiffness. Normal functions begin to dwindle and then we must push ever so hard even to tie our shoes and put on our clothes. We don’t want to look into the mirror to see what we have become. Our bodies become a disappointment and then our emotions wave in great storms over us and we are mentally and physically exhausted. Our temple needs repair.
We let ourselves go and we blame it on age. But was it age that ate all those calories? Was it age that sat on our bum and didn’t move about. Even my pretty cat, Mindy still stretches and runs and she’s considered a senior now. She’s not overweight or underweight, but she’s just right. At one point, her fur looked shabby and her eyes were dull. She was beginning to lose weight. We adjusted her food on a senior diet and now she’s gained back her weight and looks like the Mindycat we used to know. She now has some difficulty grooming and sleeps more than she used to. That's about age according to the vet. But Mindy can still pounce about like a kitten at times.
In early July, I decided that major changes had to be made for myself and my husband. These were only some of the questions I asked myself... (maybe you have the same answers). Have I been sickly? Oh, yeah! Is my blood gluclose out of control? Yes. Have my arms ached when I raise them to do my hair or to praise in worship? Yes. Is it difficult to step into the tub or tie my shoes? Yes.. Is blood pooling in my legs? Yes. Can I stretch and run or even feel like playing as a child these days? Hmmmmm. Something to think about, isn’t it? (If you’re young reading this ~ Be warned! If you’re older~ get up and do something about it!)
Joyce gives her testimony and gives us some basic pointers in her introduction. One of the first things we need to do is get the American media out of our mind! God’s idea of beauty has nothing to do with the world. We are to get up and move our body if we want our bodies to do what they’re meant to do. We must find time for the important things in life, like quiet times with God. We must remember that it’s good to do for others but we must remember to tend to our basic needs as well because we need balance. It’s not all about others. It’s about balance. If we don’t have balance something will break! We need others to help us to be accountable so that we don’t form or keep bad habits. Above all else, we must remember that God values us. We are His daughter or His son. We have a place in His Kingdom that only we can fill.
Let’s do it. Pick something to work on personally and strive to meet that goal. Once you meet it, then readjust and pick something else that needs your attention. One step at a time will get us there. Thank God, He is patient and picks us up when we fall and fail. There is no other who loves us so much. It’s time to make repairs and call on the expert to help us, Our Lord and Savior.
In Psalms 30, David is dedicating the temple. It’s worth reading the entire Psalm but this part stands out in my devotion today:
O Lord my God, I cried to you for help, and you restored my health. You brought me up from the grave, O Lord. You kept me from falling into the pit of death. Psalm 30: 2-3
Oh, I'm happy to say that I've begun my journey and my BG is now within my doctor's recommendation. I've lost a little weight and a few inches here and there. I have a ways to go but I'm getting there one step at a time. My wilderness is vast and I don't know how long it will take to get to the promised destination, but I will get there...
This post is based on my understanding for the introduction of Joyce Meyer's book, Look Great Feel Great. I encourage you to take baby steps and seek out ways to better your health. May our God of all understanding and wisdom touch us mentally, emotionally and physically that we might be vessels to bring honor to Him always. Amen
Here's a site that might be of help in your journey to better health, Sparkpeople. It will speak for itself when you visit. I'm making use of the trackers and support availabe and they are all free at http://sparkpeople.com/
My SparkBlog http://www.sparkpeople.com/mypage.asp
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