Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NLT)
To fully take care of ourselves we need to address the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual aspects of who we are. We talk a lot about the spiritual component. Today, I’d like to talk about the physical.
We are told our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit. He lives in us. And we are also told we are to take care of our bodies. I believe the stronger we are physically, the better we can serve God. When he calls us to something, we can do it!
So how do you take care of a temple? Obviously, as with any building, you have to be cognizant of the bones. If a building isn’t structurally sound, it can’t function as intended and eventually becomes a hazard. The materials you put into it are what keeps it functioning well.
The same with your body. How we maintain our bodies determines our overall well-being. And this takes a little discipline.
What do you put into your body as fuel? Is most of what you eat processed food? Is your food full of sugar? What is the nutritional value in what you eat? Is your body getting from your food what it needs to thrive?
What about exercise? Do you spend time each day moving your body so it gets the exercise it needs to be strong? Are your muscles and joints limber so they can function as intended? Do you have enough muscle tone to carry out the day’s activities? Most of these things don’t happen sitting at a desk or on the couch!
How much sleep do you get? When you sleep your body heals. Do you burn the candle at both ends? Do you wake up tired?
I think if we each took a moment and considered how to maintain our temple, if we asked God how we can improve our health habits, we’d be able to identify one thing that we could work on. Once we made that a habit, we could identify another.
Our purpose here on earth is to be God’s hands and feet. In order to do that, we need to be as healthy as we can be. What are you going to start (or stop) doing that will help you be the best you?