This is the season of Lent, and I have been reading a little book my church gave out to help with daily meditation and reflection. Monday's reading (3/9) reflected on Luke 6:36-38. It starts off with, "Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful." The reflection talks about forgiveness and how we should forgive those just as God does. We should be like Him because we are made in His image. The last paragraph in the little Lent book for that day says, "Believing that we're made in God's image is one thing. Living up to it is another. If I'm not living up to it, maybe I really don't believe I'm made in God's image."
I read this, but I did not start thinking about it until last night when I read something else in a totally different and unrelated book - seemingly unrelated. This book is called Just in Case: how to be self-sufficient when the unexpected happens by Kathy Harrison. This book is essentially about preparedness. The book talks about how to live in your home if you are suddenly off the power grid or how to evacuate quickly, etc. It talks about food storage and various ways to prepare and cook food to sustain you and your family through a disaster or just a simple power failure. The part that got me thinking is when she said we should strive to maintain our health. If our daily lifestyle causes us to be unhealthy, how helpful will we be in a crisis? We cannot avoid all aspects of poor health, but we can control a lot of it. The passage that I found interesting is this: "Avoiding junk in all forms--junk food, junk entertainment, junk acquisitions, and junk relationships--will simplify and destress your life, which is key to maintaining good health."
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What does it mean to me when I hear I am 'made in God's image'? I do not believe it means literally the physical because the human body is so frail and imperfect. The spiritual body? " . . . but, as he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in every aspect of your conduct, for it is written, Be holy because I am holy." 1 Peter 1:15-16. I am called to be 'like' God . . . not necessarily physically because my body could never keep up, but what about spiritually? I need to work towards making my spiritual body holy just as He is holy. One way I can do this is through my physical actions. Forgiving others as God forgives is a physical step that can lead to spiritual holiness, but what else is my physical and spiritual body capable of doing to help me live up to the belief that I am made in His image?
Through faith, I need to maintain both my physical and spiritual body.
Most people have at least some knowledge on how to make the body as healthy as possible given whatever limitations we are born with or destined to acquire--even though we often either fail or stumble in our attempts at good health or we do not try at all. But do we know how to make our spiritual body healthy as well?
I am made in the image of God, but what am I doing--physically and spiritually--to live up to that?
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My body, while it lives on this earth, houses my soul, my spirit--the image of God of which I am. My body also houses the Holy Spirit. "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been purchased at a price. Therefore, glorify God in your body." 1 Corinthians 6:19-20.
How do I glorify God in my body?
Do I fill my 'body' with junk food, junk entertainment, junk acquisitions, and junk relationships? This junk does not maintain my body, my spirit, my faith. This junk does not maintain my physical body, and it certainly does not maintain my spiritual body that glorifies God and is made in His image! Junk food is easy to identify, but it is not always easy to get rid of. I try, and I do fairly well. Junk entertainment can be tricky. I gave up watching TV shows on a regular basis several years ago. I mostly gave it up because I started college, and studying did not leave room for a weekly commitment to TV. I am very glad I am not addicted to TV--a lot of the 'funny' or 'entertaining' shows are filled with bad jokes, bad writing, and really bad sexual innuendoes. And reality shows are a breeding ground for all of that and more. I neither need nor want these things in my life. I still watch TV, but it is limited to old movies, the History channel, the Weather channel, etc. But there are other forms of entertainment besides TV shows that lure and ensnare the 'body' and, therefore, do not glorify God. Which ones do I participate in?
Junk acquisitions can be tricky to identify also. What do I acquire that does or does not glorify God? Do these 'things' maintain or break down my body, spirit, and faith? Do I have relationships in my life that cause me to lose my way--physically and spiritually? What do I 'do' throughout the day that does or does not glorify God?
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Do the foods I eat build up my body so that I can maintain good health and be available to my loved ones? Does the TV program or movie I watch or book I read build up my spirit or faith or morality? If I read or watch something seemingly 'bad,' can I discover something 'good' in it that could positively affect my spiritual body? Do the 'things' I surround myself with create a healthy atmosphere and an environment filled with love and faith? Do I use Facebook, Twitter, texting, email, and parties or gatherings to maintain positive relationships with friends and family? I want to answer "yes" to all of these questions. If I answer "no" then they are junkyards for my time and energy, and they do not build up my body and spirit and faith. If I answer "no" then they do not help me to live up to the belief that I am made in His image, and they do not help me to glorify God in my body.
Therefore, I must look closely at what I eat, watch, read, and do every day. Some things may need to be eliminated, and some things may need to be adjusted or modified slightly. This is a very tall order, but I think I am up to the challenge. After all, this is the season of Lent.
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