YIKES!!!…


Last week while enjoying time in Hilton Head, I stayed at a condo with a full-length mirror.  One night as I was putting on my PJs, I got an unvarnished look at my naked self in the mirror.  Yikes!

This year I am going to turn 60, however, just 10 short years ago, I was nearly 50 pounds thinner with a LOT more muscle mass.  Sure, I can blame the changes on aging – but it is more likely the result of too many cookies and unrestricted glasses of wine…

That said, after seeing my reflection I decided to start my vacation days with some exercise.  The first day I headed to the gym before 8 only to find that it was empty.  So, I quickly claimed the elliptical machine and set the time to 45 minutes.  Forty-five minutes is a time I used to do effortlessly, however – within 5 minutes I was thinking, “No – that is NOT going to happen.”

At 15 minutes I was sweating profusely – the water falling off my brow and making little rivulets on the base of the equipment.  Sweat was dropping so quickly it looked a little like rain.

At 25 minutes, I thought – “If I can just make it another 10, I’ll finish off with some weights,” and that is exactly what I did.  However, when I considered the state of my body, I couldn’t help thinking “I really haven’t been treating it like it is a temple for the Holy Spirit.”

Well – God must have agreed because when I got back to the condo afterward, I grabbed a cup of coffee and my phone so that I could read a little on the YouVersion Bible app, and do you know what?  The verse of the day was 1 Corinthians 3:16 – “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells within your midst?”

Hmmm….

It is easy to lapse into a state of indulgence where we give in to all of our whims:

  • Today I’ll enjoy the pasta because I’m on vacation.
  • A glass or two (or more) of wine with friends is just me being social!
  • My bed feels so nice, I’ll exercise tomorrow instead…

But God wants us to be disciplined and self-controlled:

But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified. – 1 Corinthians 9:27

Like a city whose walls are broken through is a person who lacks self-control. – Proverbs 25:28

And, if we are truly housing the Spirit of God within us, shouldn’t we honor Him by taking care of the bodies He’s given us? 

“Do you not know that your bodies are temples 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 bodies.” - 1 Corinthians 6:19-21

So, beginning today, and continuing during my time in Nicaragua - I am going to ask God for His help in treating my body like the temple it was meant to be.

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