"... 'You must love him [the Lord your God] with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.' The second most important commandment says: ' Love others as much as you love yurself.' No other commandment is more important than these." Mark 12:30-31
The directions on the vial of liquid eyeliner read, "Shake well before application." I shook that little container for all I was worth. Much to my horror, the flesh on my upper arm continued to wiggle, jiggle and vibrate for some time after I was finished shaking the eye liner. I was hypnotized by the untethered gyrations. I was grateful not to have been blinded by the quaking of my flesh. A girl could lose an eye that way!
The Word of God tells me that our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit (1Cor. 3:16). For the life of me, I don't remember at what point my body turned into the Temple of Jiggle. When exactly did I become a walking adverstisement for Jello gelatin? I know for a fact that Father Time and Mr. Gravity will eventually pay us all a visit. After a certain age a girl has to expect a normal amount of epidermal elasticity, but the stuff hanging on the backside of my arms has enough fatty deposits to qualify for its own zip code.
The above scripture commands me to love my neighbor as myself and on normal (non-PMS days), I have little or no problem heeding that word. It's the second half of that command that I struggle with. How's a girl supposed to love herself when she is so dissatisfied with her outward appearance? I know ... we're not supposed to concentrate on the outer shell, but hey ... I'm only human. Everywhere I go - there I am - in the flesh! Not only am I not happy with my current body weight, but there's a whole lot of other stuff about me, myself and I that I am less than thrilled with. So how can I be obedient to God's Word and learn to love myself?
EVERY DAY I have to get out of bed and MAKE A CHOICE to love myself exactly as I am. EVERY DAY, I must forgive myself for my shortcomings and physical imperfections and grasp the concept that I am not perfect, nor will I ever be perfect in this lifetime. I am encouraged by the fact that even though I'm not exactly where I wish to be physically, spiritually or emotionally, I have made great strides from where I was last week, last month ... last year, etc. I accept that I may never reach my ideal body weight this side of Heaven (that's the number that appears on my drivers license), but that's not a requirement for salvation and the love of Christ. God loves every inch of me and my Temple of Jiggle!
Thank you, Lord for this imperfect body of flesh because it reminds me daily, that I need you to sustain my life. Were it not for you, I couldn't even draw my next breath. Help me to love those people you put in my path today. Help me to be able to love myself, forgive myself and accept myself for who you have created me to be. I am unique in the body of Christ. Help me always to love you with my whole heart, soul, mind and BODY! Amen.
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2 comments:
Loving ourselves takes effort - so often we let ourselves down, and we know every fault and flaw. Thanks for this humorous but deep reminder that it is possible to appreciate our own uniqueness. We need to recognize that even incremental improvements are worth the work!
People should read this.
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