This is a temple? Yup!

Last night for me was an evening of too many fun-sized bags of chips (and cheese slices, and tiny bowls of cereal...), then reluctant sleep, punctuated with Benadryl-popping, weird dreams, and nose-blowing. I awoke wondering how on earth my body is supposedly a "temple of the Holy Spirit" made to glorify God (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). I thought: This thing? Really? This cellulite-ridden, hypoglycemic, panic-attack prone bag of bones? This is "fearfully and wonderfully made"(Psalm 139)?

I glanced out the window, trying to shake off the shame of yet another night's snack session (read:binge). Below were three little birds, enjoying a splashy bath in a puddle. Immediately I thought of Matthew 6:25-27. It made me feel loved, and comforted. However, I still couldn't see how my body, with all its shortcomings and flaws, was a temple for God's Holy Spirit. Not to mention that God bought my body at a price, and therefore I should glorify Him with it.

I spent some time this afternoon reading Scripture, along with Elyse Fitzpatrick's Love to Eat Hate to Eat (both of which I highly recommend). I thank God for the understanding I was able to glean:

• God bought me (including my body) at a price=He gave His Son so that I'd have eternal life
• He blessed me with this body, but it does not belong to me (see above bullet)
• Even the Apostle Paul struggled against sin and his own body (Romans 7:14-25, 1 Cor. 9:27)
• I have a responsibility to keep it as healthy as I can (this is how I glorify Him with it)
• I can be thankful for, and make use of, its flaws as opportunities to help those with similar issues (further glorifying God, hence this post)

So there you have it. I hope that, if there is someone needing to read this, they do, and that it helps them somehow.