17 Feb It Matters
Body Matters. Body matters. Really?
Well, the culture sure says so. Look at any magazine rack. Clearly, the body matters, particularly the young, shapely, alluring female body. The diet and fitness industries sure say so. Look at the countless ways available to us for losing weight and getting in shape. The fashion industry has a lot of skin in this game too. Every season confronts us with new colors and styles to adorn ourselves so that we’ll look beautiful and up-to-date. We are bombarded every single day with messages that say our bodies are something upon which to lavish our time, attention, money, and affections.
That’s what the culture has to say. What do we, as women in the 21st century, say? That gets a bit more complicated, opening up the proverbial can of worms. That begins to expose some of what’s going on in our hearts. Now it gets personal. We walk by the magazine rack and what emotions quickly rise to the surface? Admiration or envy? Attraction or disgust? This time of year diet and fitness are all the rage (again). Where does that leave us? Feeling challenged or condemned? Encouraged or defeated before we even begin? Spring fashions will soon fill all the ads. Will we run to the store for the latest thing or cry in front of our closets? Will we feel confident and pretty? Or self-conscious and unattractive? Our bodies and our emotions are obviously one tangled mix.
“Not only are our bodies important, they are sacred in God’s eyes.”
So our bodies matter to the culture and our bodies matter to us. But do they matter to God? Of course they do! He created them, intricately and perfectly (Psalm 139:13-14). He created them for the purpose of giving Him glory, to be temples (1 Corinthians 6:19) in which He would live, through which He would display His character and greatness. Therefore, not only are our bodies important, they are sacred in God’s eyes. That changes everything! Now the importance of our bodies is elevated to a much higher plane than we or the culture could ever imagine. With this sacred status, though, comes responsibility: to take care of the temple, to be a fit dwelling place for the King of Kings, to be a body God can use.
What’s that stewardship look like? What are the sins which war specifically against our “temples”? How are body, soul and spirit connected? Where have the culture and our own souls deceived us? What do God and His word have to say about all this? “Body Matters” will begin to answer those questions and give us the only perspective that matters: God’s!
-Libby Thomas, Powdersville
If you want to understand more about your body through the lens of Biblical clarity, please consider registering for the upcoming study of Body Matters, a new curriculum under the Ezer ministry at Grace Church. Groups begin in February, and you can learn more at http://gracechurchsc.org/women/