Feb
12
2008
12
2008
The Temple
Filed under: Exercise, Following Jesus, Health, Self-Discipline
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 talk a lot on this blog about how we are called to be good stewards of the earth because, after all, it is God’s creation. There are limited resources. There is only ONE earth…and it was entrusted to us to take care of while we are residing here. In the same way, God has given us ONE body…gloriously and perfectly made…to take care of while we are here on earth. Did you know that your body is not your own? You were bought with a price. Jesus paid the price for us when He died on the cross…and we owe Him everything!
When you are taking care of something that is not your own…how do you treat it? You probably take very good care of it, so that when the owner comes back, they will find it in good condition. When you rent an apartment, you are probably very careful to keep it in good condition so that when the landlord returns, you will not be fined. We are to be good stewards of our body…in the same way that you would take care of anything that is not your own. In 1 Corinthians, Paul refers to our body as “a temple”. When I think about what that means…my mind brings up images of how my house would look if I was preparing it as a place of worship, a place where God would dwell.
With these thoughts in mind, think about the things you did to care for and prepare your temple this last week. What types of foods did you put into your body? What about artificial flavorings, chemicals, preservatives, pesticides, fungicides and herbicides went into your body? Did you exercise? Did you get outside? Did you run, jump, play, and dance? Oh, but Sara! I didn’t have TIME to make healthy meals or exercise! 
Over the years, I have made so many excuses as to why I didn’t have time to work out and/or eat better. And being that I was an athlete throughout my school years, it should have been pretty easy for me. But after I had Bella, I just didn’t “feel” like doing anything. The less active I was, the worse I ate. The worse I ate, the less energy I had. I had weeks where I would try to start making changes, but then would quit in frustration after I had missed a few days and “failed”. It wasn’t until about 4 weeks ago that I started at it again…this time with renewed vigor and excitement. I truly believe the reason I have been able to stick with it this time is because it was a holistic change that encompasses all areas of my being. I started having really good time in the Word and meeting with Jesus in prayer daily. I started working out and being active daily. And I started eating much better. And it’s this last part that I really want to focus on…because I believe that eating and diet in general is such an intensely spiritual and emotional journey… one that it effects all other areas of our life. If your body is unhealthy (and you are tired, depressed, worn out)…everything else goes into a downward spiral as well. Your marriage, your relationship with others, your self-esteem…it’s all connected.
If you have been over to my food blog, Happy Foody, you know that I am very passionate about food! I believe that it has the power to heal, energize, and keep your body running well for a long time. But the foods that make up the typical American diet are not healing foods. They aren’t even close to healing foods. Nor are they even close to what God had in mind when He created fruits and vegetables for us to eat…perfect foods with perfect vitamin and mineral make up for our bodies. There are over 7500 varieties of apples alone! Just apples! Can you even fathom how much deliciousness grows on this planet that we don’t even know about? All created by the one who knows ours bodies perfectly. And yet…we choose foods that have a chemical make-up that would startle our great-grandparents. Just 40 years ago, all food was “organic”…our country has gone so far away from that ideal and it’s saddening to see the effects on our health. Even more saddening is that we are CHOOSING these things for ourselves. I know that there are certain situations of poverty where that person may not have a choice, but the majority of the people reading this have a choice as to what they put in their mouth.
When we consider that “we are not our own”…it becomes a little easier to make better choices. It’s not our body to trash… we will be held accountable for our actions here on earth. There is a disconnect between the food we eat and our faith. We compartmentalize everything…I know I am guilty of it as well. We break things out into comfortable categories that don’t intersect. My faith. My health. My family. My hobbies. My food. But I am realizing that my faith in Jesus is like a blanket that covers all of these things. My faith is not just one “part” of my life…something that happens on Sunday…it IS LIFE. Being a follower of Jesus is my philosophy of life.
What is the meaning of life? For me, it is to bring glory to God in all that I do and say. I am going to stop treating my body like it’s separate from my spirituality and bring it all under His control. He wants is ALL. He desires the best for me, which means that He WANTS to help me be healthy…He WANTS me to learn self-control.
But how can we claim to have self-control, and yet we can’t control what goes into our mouths? We are somehow “powerless” to say no to a Venti Breve White Chocolate Mocha, a Big Mac, a Coca-Cola…or “just one more” brownie. We remain slaves to our food when we can’t conquer our cravings.
“Everything is permissible for me”—but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is permissible for me”—but I will not be mastered by anything. 1 Corinthians 6:12
When you sense that little inner voice telling you over and over…”you need to start eating better”…”you should exercise more”…it’s not necessarily just your inner voice. It is most likely the Holy Spirit prompting you to take care of it’s dwelling place in a better way. Who knows what you need better than the Holy Spirit within you?!
I know this is a very difficult issue for many people. It’s a struggle that feels unbeatable. There are many of you who without a doubt have struggled with eating disorders. I am not saying that it’s easy, and I am not saying that you have to look like a super model. Everyone has different body types…HOWEVER…you know for yourself when you are unhealthy and need to make a change. The American Heart Association has put the out the standard for all adults…that you should be physically active (and this means actually sweating with your heart rate elevated - they define it as “vigorous”) for at least 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week. 30 minutes! That’s HALF of “Lost” or “American Idol”! You can do it! The activity can be split up into 10-15 minute increments, but it must be vigorous to get the benefits. This means that the leisurely stroll to through the parking lot doesn’t really count When you are sedentary (a.k.a. sitting around most of the day), your body begins to think it doesn’t need all of the muscles it has and you get flabby. Flabby is no fun!
Decide today that you won’t be satisfied with letting your Temple sit in disrepair! And then get busy dissecting any body image problems that you might have. Do not judge your body based on a false reality. Stop picking up “Fit” and “Shape” magazines and comparing yourself to the completely absurd, airbrushed photos. They are not real. Stop picking up “People” and staring at the perfectly little perfrect bodies from Hollywood. In order to LOVE the body that God gave you, you have to stop putting garbage in your mind about what this world says it should look like. You can be HEALTHY and not look like a model on the runway.
You also need to examine who you perceive yourself to be. When you can wrap your head around the power that you have within you through Christ, anything is possible. So…who am I in Christ?
I am God’s child (John 1:12)
I am assured all things work together for good (Romans 8:28)
I am confident that God will perfect the work He has begun in me (Philippians 1:6)
I have not been given a spirit of fear, but of power, love and self-discipline (2 Timothy 1:7)
I have purpose (Ephesians 1:9 & 3:11)
I have hope (Ephesians 1:12)
I have been chosen and God desires me to bear fruit (John 15:1,5)
I am alive with Christ (Ephesians 2:5)
I am God’s workmanship (Ephesians 2:10)
I have peace (Ephesians 2:14)
I am a holy temple (Ephesians 2:21; 1 Corinthians 6:19)
I am a dwelling for the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 2:22)
God’s power works through me (Ephesians 3:7)
I can approach God with freedom and confidence (Ephesians 3:12)
I can bring glory to God (Ephesians 3:21)
I can be certain of God’s truths and the lifestyle which He has called me to (Ephesians 4:17)
I can have a new attitude and a new lifestyle (Ephesians 4:21-32)
I can give thanks for everything (Ephesians 5:20)
I can be strong (Ephesians 6:10)
I am growing (Colossians 2:7)
I am His disciple (John 13:15)
I am prayed for by Jesus Christ (John 17:20-23)
I am promised a full life (John 10:10)
I am victorious (I John 5:4)
I am set free (Romans 8:2; John 8:32)
I am a light in the world (Matthew 5:14)
I am more than a conqueror (Romans 8:37)
I am not helpless (Philippians 4:13)
I am overcoming (I John 4:4)
I am persevering (Philippians 3:14)
I am a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17)
I am victorious (1 Corinthians 15:57)
Now that’s some encouragement!
Where to begin? Be realistic with your goals and expectations. Set goals in increments…slow and steady. Make your goals attainable, so that you can easily achieve your goals and then move onto the next one. Start with 10 minutes a day. Start with a walk around the block. Start somewhere. Journal your progress…on paper or in a blog and find someone who is willing to be a partner…to help you stay the course.
One of the best partners you can have is Jesus…I feel so confident in knowing that He is with me on this journey. I have been using my exercise time to meditate on scripture and pray through my prayer list. After I’m done, I’m not only refreshed physically, but spiritually as well.
In order to help everyone jump start their healthy journey, I am going to host the “Happy Foody Green Smoothie Challenge”! It will will start on Monday, February 25 and run through March 25. For more details, check out this post on Happy Foody.
Get your temple in order…pray for the Holy Spirit to give you motivation and energy and excitement to begin this journey!
Photo credit: Flickr: j/f/photos
Posted by Sara @ 10:42 pm | Leave a Comment
13
2008
Great post Sara. I think the average Aussie diet is as bad as you guys. Exercise is where I struggle the most. LOL at ‘Flabby is not fun!!” Totally agree
13
2008
[...] http://walkslowlylivewildly.com/2008/02/12/the-temple/ [...]
13
2008
Thank you, thank you…. I so needed this right now. I’m going to print this off and read it whenever I feel discouraged. I suffered from anorexia in high school, and a huge part of my healing was changing my image of what beauty was, and that meant no longer reading magazines like “self”. Now I can truly say that when I think of beauty I imagine someone like yourself, who has the light of God shining in them, verses some stick thin, blond in Hollywood. I think a lot of times Christians think that caring for the health of their bodies is unimportant, but if we are going to bring glory to God here on earth we have to be healthy and strong spiritually, mentally, physically etc, etc…
13
2008
Sara…I love your passion and honesty and that you love the Lord Jesus…your point is so very true and I fail pretty miserably most of the time in the care of my body.
The verse that really spoke to me about the importance of caring for my body, which is God’s temple, His residing place (He lives in me!), is I Corinthians 3:17: “If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him; for God’s temple is sacred, and you are that temple.”
It made me realize that by body is sacred and that not caring for it properly, I was in fact indirectly destroying it, whether it be spiritual desecration or physical desecration.
Also, we are told in the New Testament that if we are gluttons we might as well put a knife to our throat. I think the implication there is that gluttony is a killer, a slow death…so, we might as well hasten the process by slitting our throat which would result in a quicker death.
As much as is possible with the provision the Lord gives us, we should buy the best foods available.
Many make distinctions between the secular and sacred, but I think all is sacred in the eyes of God, even this daily life we, his children–those that have been born into the family of God by grace through faith in Jesus Christ– live on planet earth.
We are directed to be holy, which simply means “set apart”, as unto God. We should take heed and dedicate ourselves to that task…which really begins with submission to the will of God.
13
2008
Thank you so much for this today, Sara. I can’t tell you how much I needed it. Thank you!
13
2008
Great post! I entered the Green Smoothie challenge. You put into words in the best possible way why I need to quit making excuses. I eat healthy but I need to exercise and spend more time in prayer and scripture.
13
2008
What a fabulous post and right when I needed it the most. I have been on the blood type diet for the past five weeks and have been so good eating organically, whole grains, veggies, water, etc. but was lamenting today that I hadn’t lost more than two pounds on it. Part of that is that I broke my toe a month ago and so haven’t been able to run and play raquetball. I’ve been doing other things, but still!
So I felt annoyed and bought a diet pepsi and some chips today. Your post has motivated me. I am starting again, right now!!
13
2008
Awesome post! I passed it on to a few people that I thought would enjoy and benefit from it! I’m so bad at exercising!
13
2008
Have you taken the “real age” quiz that Dr. Oz and company put out. http://www.realage.com You answer a whole list of questions about every part of your life and then it tell you what your “real age” is. It’s pretty inpsiring to do better, or to keep up with good habits. My husband and I are in for the Green Smoothy Challenge!
13
2008
I love this post. I have just started back to yoga and in one week I am a different person. This post was so encouraging and positive-you have a true gift of inspiration and words for others. Thank you!
13
2008
Great post. That’s what I should remember whenever I start to feel a bout of winter laziness setting in.
The Green Smoothie Challenge sounds interesting. I’ve been eating a lot of swiss chard with pasta and tomato sauce and it’s really been hitting the spot lately …
13
2008
Thank you everyone for such thoughtful and genuine comments…you guys are so great. Abby…I have also just gotten into yoga and I feel so amazing after I’m done. I love listening to some great worship music and/or meditating on scripture while I’m doing it. I want to learn more “routines” so I can do them while we’re on the road.
14
2008
Hey friend…thanks for the spiritual encouragement. I’ve been way more aware of what I eat now that Ryan is eating stuff too. How can I eat somethind in front of Ryan and tell him he can’t have it because it’s not good for him? Little changes is the key. And focusing first on the Lord is even better and most important!
14
2008
Loved this post. But what do you do if dh is not on board, doesn’t think he has unhealthy habits…? It’s pretty hard to try to make changes in your diet/life when your other half isn’t right there with you… ??
14
2008
Wonderful, thought-provoking post, Sara. I have said for years that I believe that Christians are traditionally very good at being REactive when it comes to health (good at visits to the hospital and bedside, bringing in food to help a family, etc.), but poor at being PROactive, as evidenced by all the coffee and donuts and other baked goods at potlucks and most any other event. I hope more Christians will begin to consider making some of the changes you so thoroughly laid out. Especially if we want to be a strong and vibrant body of Christ.
14
2008
Thank you so much, Sara! And piggy-backing onto Nicole’s comment, I have been thinking a lot about the way Christians behave in regards to the foods we choose. I am currently involved in a women’s bible study on Deuteronomy and just last night, we were going over questions from chapter 14, were Moses gives the specific instructions about what foods they were allowed to eat and not eat. I was a bit disappointed that the writers of this bible study chose to focus on only the metaphorical applications, and not also on the literal applications in these food laws. God laid out these food guidelines for a reason and these reasons are often ignored by modern day believers.
Just curious, Sara, if you have ever read anything about “The Maker’s Diet?” I read some of it a while back and was fascinated by it and continually amazed by what an amazingly creative God we have. Just like you said in this post, God gave us a huge abundance of foods on this earth, so why would we want to make artificial foods? Anyway, thanks for your challenging and encouraging words, as always.
15
2008
This is awesome, thanks so much for this encouragement!
15
2008
Sara, i LOVE your blogs!!
You were talking directly to me when you said stop buying those magazines…those are the exact magazines i buy…the ones that egg me on in hating my body!
I have struggled/am struggling with a eating disorder and I know that through Jesus i can be set free and really start taking care of my temple.
Thank you for being so inspirational.
15
2008
Sara, thanks for this post. I really needed it today. I’ve been doing great lately, but today I just did NOT want to go exercise. Now I’m ready to go again. Thanks for the inspiration!
15
2008
[...] water for this seed came in the form of this post from someone whose life has always inspired me. With that water, it took a little root, and today [...]
15
2008
It’s hard to find that just-right place sometimes… between no care of our bodies and care of our bodies and worship of our bodies. But thinking in terms of “temple” is a helpful image. We wouldn’t want a temple in disrepair, neither do we worship the temple itself but it enables us to meet God in a proper frame of mind. So too with our bodies, yes?
16
2008
Beautiful. Just beautiful. Thank you for so eloquently saying all the things that rattle through my head and often spill out in crude ways.
17
2008
true true. Thanks for taking the time to share.
18
2008
[...] I am truly loving her most recent post she wrote about our temple. It really echoes my sentiments about eating and taking care of [...]
18
2008
Wow…this feels inspired. I am on a similar journey to yours and I’m so thankful to have someone I know and love to learn from. I’ve been meeting with a group here in Des Moines called NOAH (Nourishing Organic Affectionate Homes) and I’m learning so much! I’ve actually started culturing my own veggies, milk, and even making homemade kombucha! My tummy is so happy! I’ve started to think before I eat, “Is this something God intended for me to eat?” THat simple question has been life-changing!Thanks for your inspiration…lets have dinner next time you’re here!
emily
19
2008
Wonderful entry! Thank you!
19
2008
Thanks for the great reminder!
19
2008
Sara,
I agree with your post. However, I do not think that this is what Paul is saying in 1 Corinthians. Both passages you cite from 1 Cor 6 deal with a moral issue–that of using one’s body in immoral ways, particularly uniting with a prostitute. Now, these passages may or may not be applied to the individualistic issue of one’s eating habits, but a case has to be made for this. We need to be attentive to what God says through the writers of scripture, asking whay they said what they said before we think it naturally and easily applies to present-day concerns that clearly were not issues for them. An example, in 1 Cor 8-10 Paul deals with the issue of eating food. The reason for eating or not eating meat had to do with whether it offended another believer, not whether it was healthy. If this were an argument Paul wanted to make, he could have. He did not. This is not to say that we should not be concerned with our health and what we eat; my point is that Biblical writers really were not concerned with this issue and we should be careful not to project our concerns onto them. We need to hear what they are saying, how they are saying it, and why. And then apply it to our lives.
Again, I agree with your post. I don’t see how Paul in 1 Corinthians 6 is saying the same thing. I hope this comes across as a friendly correction, and not harsh. My concern is deeper–the more we are attuned to reading and useing scripture like this, the less we actually hear what God is communicating through the Biblical writers. They witness to God in specific times and circumstances, and God ordained it this way. To not pay attention to this is to not acknowledge how God has chosen to communicate to us through scripture.
19
2008
Having said that….
I think we would be hard-pressed to find any passages in scripture that deal with the issue of “healthy” eating, especially as you put it. The book of Acts records a dream Peter has that encourages him to eat “unclean” foods in Acts 10:9-16, and Paul in 1 Corinthians 10:23-11:1 and Romans 14 does not seem to have a problem with eating meat (probably pork), which was otherwise commanded against in the Old Testament. If we take commands seriously in the Old Testament, we need a rationale for this, since there are many other commands we do not, and need not, follow any longer.
The better route to take seems to be one that emphasizes our service to God and others. In 1 Corinthians 6:12-13, Paul when dealing with the issue of sexual immorality, says, “Food for the stomach and the stomach for food; yet, God will destroy them both.” On the one hand, what Paul means is that it simply does not matter what we eat. On the other hand, it does matter when we remember that we are not individuals–islands to ourselves. We are, by professing faith, part of a community–the body of Christ. As part of this body, which is also called the temple (the community, not the individual), we are to conduct ourselves worthily of Christ who dwells in and among us. Paul never says that we “owe” God or Jesus. By professing faith, and receiving the Spirit, we are united with Christ and part of his body–the community in which the Spirit dwells. We should then act as if this were true. We are to act as if we are new creations and transformed into the image of Christ. It is not a question of “owing” God, it is a question of identity and calling. In 1 Corinthians 8:7-13, Paul is clear that what we eat or do not eat will not bring us closer to God. Our conduct as members of the larger body of Christ is what matters.
Now, is what I eat potentially damaging? Yes. How? If it is a problem of serving something other than God in Christ, it is a problem scripturally. If it is a problem to other believers, it is a problem scripturally. If it simply is a matter of lifestyle, which is generally arbitrary, then we should be careful before attributing to scripture some “diet” or whatever that scripture never actually teaches. Those things are our personal choices that impinge little on matters of faith. Jesus was considered a “glutton and a drunkard” by his contemporaries (Luke 7:34). This probably was a polemical overstatement, yet had some truth to it. Not that Jesus was really a drunk; the point is that he cared less about what he put in his body than about bringing the message of the kingdom. Overeating and eating disorders are another issue that I do think scripture deals with. However, it does not deal with them on the level of the problem of eating food, but on the level of breaking free from the snares of the devil and recognizing God’s love in Christ Jesus.
20
2008
Can I send your “who am I to Christ?” list to a couple groups of mine? It’s awesome.
20
2008
Kyle…thanks for your detailed thoughts on the scripture. My abbreviated response is that while I do agree with much of it…my opinion is that one of the reasons you don’t see much scripture on “healthy eating” is because pretty much all eating was “healthy eating” in biblical times. There were no processed, dyed, pesticide-laden foods. They were pure, as God created them. And even more simplified, I just can’t knowingly put something into my body that is “killing it” and still think that I am glorifying God. Yes, we are all dying, but many of the foods we put in our bodies speed up that fact at an alarming rate.
I do understand your point about taking scripture out of context, and I do realize that he was speaking about sexual sin…however, I also believe that we can glean truth and insight into other areas of our life by applying all different kind of scriptures. I guess this might not go along with what a biblical scholar would say, but it speaks to me that way :)Thanks, as always for taking time to comment…I love hearing your thoughts!
20
2008
juliecache…yes, of course. It’s not mine anyway…just Google on “identity in Christ” or anything of that sort and you’ll find many, many lengthy lists
20
2008
Sara– I hadn’t read your blog for a while and just popped in a few days ago. This was so well timed for our family. i’ve been “feeling” like we are a healthy eating family because we shop at Whole Foods. But, upon evaluation we really weren’t. We totally on board your challenge. It will be easy for us to do– smoothies and salads, but we needed a little push to get there. Thank you so much. This really will be inpacting on our little family.
20
2008
Sara,
I agree with your points. And we certainly can “glean truth and insight” from different kinds of scriptures. My concern is the way in which we do that. Part of the issue is recognizing that scripture is written for a community–God’s people, and not necessarily to the individual. We should apply scripture to our individual circumstances, but only after we recognize its intent and our place within that larger body. This shields from the possibility of multiple, at times contradictory, meanings that can be derived from a thousand different people. Scripture simply can not mean two contradictory things. It cannot defend drinking alcohol and prohibit it at the same time. When we hit this sort of roadblock, we need to look deeper into what it is trying to say, rather than use it for what we want to say.
You are right that the writers of scripture did not have the porblems with processed foods that we do. This is where my concern comes in. Precisely because scripture did not have the problem we do with processed and unhealthy foods means that we need to be very careful in the method we use to apply scripture to these issues. The same method of application can be used also to justify slavery by saying that Paul in his letter to Philemon requires Onesimus to return to his place as a slave of Philemon. Paul pleads that Philemon accept Onesimus as a “brother,” but never says to change his slave status. Similarly, 1 Peter 2:18-25 does not try to tell slaves to no longer be under slavery–it asks them to remain in it. If we were simply to take those sections and say, “here, this applies to having slaves. It is not wrong according to scripture,” we would be missing the point. In these passages, Paul and Peter are not talking about slavery, whether defending or opposing it, but about Christian living in various circumstances. To apply these passages to slavery is to take them out of context.
The important thing is to ask “why” writers of scripture said what they said and “how” they said it. This, in the long run, will help us apply scripture more carefully and more faithfully to our lives. I believe Scripture invites us to participate in a grand narrative of God’s work in Christ. An essential part of this is not just taking little pieces of scripture here and there and applying them to present-day life where they seem to make sense. It means really placing ourselves within the narrative by understanding why scripture says what it says in certain circumstances, and forming our lives and imaginative thinking to its witness. Rather then apply scripture to our lives as we see fit, we apply our lives into scripture.
When we come to issues of modern day life, we then should not just cite passages that appear to apply; rather, we should form judgments and make decisions that arise from a more holistic reading of scripture’s witness to God’s redeeming work in Christ. I hope this all makes sense. I am still trying to formulate these issues, since I see the importance of applying scripture to our lives, but I also see a danger in the ways it is often uncritically done. At times these uncritical uses of scripture are of little concern, but in general the manner in which this happens too often overlooks more important concerns and the larger message that often shapes the ways Biblical writers say what they say. It also can lead to dangerous imsunderstandings of scripture.
As for the body as a temple and glorifying God with our bodies–I think the witness of scripture would put this in the category of moral living. I think, at least in the New Testament, whether or not a person gossips, slanders, causes division among believers, participates in immoral behavior, stand higher on the list of how one glorifies God with one’s body than what we put in our bodies. I think a better scriptural argument for not eating grossly processed foods would be to appeal to the concern for equality and care for God’s creation and the issue of the level of human intrusion into what is already good. Many of those who overprocess foods do so at the peril of others and for their own monetary gain. These are not Biblical principles, and to pay for, consume, and essentially support that manner of capitalism, I think, is something Christians should not do. Looking at it in this way appeals to the larger role we as Christians are called to. We are “not our own” but are responsible through the use of our bodies to carry the good news of God’s redemption in Christ to the world. I fear that too much focus and worry about our individual bodies tends to remove us from that responsibility. I find it interesting that the New Testament rarely, if ever, focuses on the individual for the individual’s own sake and betterment. Nearly all of the occurrences of “you” in Paul’s letters are plural–to the community. When he does single out the individual, it is generally for the sake of reorienting the individual into his/her responsibility to the whole. Moral self-mastery, for example, is not just a concern for the individual to conquer his/her passions for a better life. On the one hand, it is evidence of faith, and thus important in one’s salvation. It does not lead to salvation, but it is clear that faith does not get us off the hook as far as righteous living–it enables it. “Self-mastery” is ultimately for the purpose of witnessing to Christ in the world (e.g. Matt 5:13-16). If it leads to a better personal life, that is great; but, it is never the purpose. Just some thoughts….I have said too much.
20
2008
“Rather then apply scripture to our lives as we see fit, we apply our lives into scripture.”
Great thoughts my friend…I especially liked the last paragraph. It definitely made sense to me, and no, you have not said too much. Although it could be the beginnings of a thesis or something
I am so glad you hang around long enough to lend some insight into a difficult topic. You know I appreciate you and your wisdom…and the dialogue it helps create. Have a great night!
20
2008
Sara…
I love your blog! I know that this is not really where this post belongs, but when I click on compacting (to find out what it is) the page is no longer there…I would have emailed you directly, but when I click on “email me” my mail server isn’t set up so I can’t see your email address. Can you tell me how I can find out what compacting is? And btw…I LOVE yoga too. Just discovered it this past year, and find it is a really good time for me to pray and listen to Jesus. You are inspiring!
21
2008
Sara, when I read the first line of this post, I knew we were kindred spirits! That is the mission of the non-profit organization I work for. I’m hoping we can connect soon.
God Bless,
Zainab
21
2008
An exercise trick? I Tivo shows that I can only watch if I am on the treadmill. They are usually the most exciting ones, thus getting me to go faster. A word to the wise, make sure you are paying attention to what you are doing and that that week’s episode isn’t too shocking!
22
2008
it’s crazy to me that i happen upon your blog this day in my life. i’ve been struggling with my body and how i take care of (or don’t take care of) it for a long time now. i have an 18 month old and from the time he was a couple of months old, i’ve been “trying” to start a healthy workout routine. i’ve “tried and failed” too many times to count. for over a year after he was born, i was a server and so i was at least getting some sort of exercise on a regular basis. now i’m not doing anything that even resembles exercise at my job. i’ve always had a problem with my self-image. as i’ve gotten older, my outlook has changed a lot, but i still find myself really frustrated when i see that i’ve gained weight. just this week, i’ve realized that i will never start and continue any sort of exercise routine until i do it because my body is a temple and i should take care of it. i can’t do it if i want to lose weight. i can’t do it if i don’t like the way i look. i can’t do it if i want to fit into a swimming suit! i can only do it when i get my vision correct and realize that i need to take care of my body because it is God’s.
so thanks for the post. it was very ‘confirming’!
23
2008
Sara, I love your blog! I just stumbled upon it the other day and I am so glad I did! I feel the same way about our diet and we’ve been trying to eat healthier for a while now. This post is such a huge motivation to me to keep it up and improve on some areas. Thank you…
25
2008
you are excellent http://love2bgreen.blogspot.com/2008/02/i-am-excellent.html
27
2008
I enjoyed Kyle’s comments. I strongly believe that we cannot separate Scripture from the historical context in which those events occurred and those words were written down.
21
2008
I really enjoyed your post and I am going to link to it from my site as I do think we have a responsibility to look after our ‘temples’ and not abuse them.
5
2008
Just stumbled onto your blog, and just wanted to say thanks for this great post.
18
2008
[...] came upon THIS article several months ago, and it has stuck with [...]
Leave a Reply
Wisdom
– Henry David Thoreau
Recent Posts
Blogroll
Happy Places
Inspiration
Categories
Archives
Meta
About
Sara Janssen Photography & Design
Come check out our adventures on the road!
The Live Lightly Tour
Happy Foody
...because I like to eat!
Contact
Passions
Family
Friends
Photography
Design
Traveling
Vegetarianism
Raw Foodism
Whole & Organic Foods
Thai Food
Tea
Coffee
Anti-Consumerism
Homemaking
Simplicity
Breastfeeding
Child-Led Weaning
Babywearing
Homebirth
Family Bed
Cloth Diapering
Vaccination Awareness
Attachment Parenting
Holistic Medicine
Unschooling
Homeschooling
Living Lightly
Living Smaller
Thrifting & Recycling
Camping
Singing
Living
Subscribe
Twitter Updates
Good Reads
Graphics and Content © WalkSlowlyLiveWildly.com | Layout and Development by Swank Web Style | Powered by WordPress