THIS "TEMPLE" NEEDS AN OVERHAUL

1 Corinthians 6: 19-20 "Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body."

I (Annice) will admit...I am overweight...look at me...it's very obvious! I have given birth to 4 children. My body is not what it used to be 7+ years ago. I look briefly in the mirror each day and do not recognize the person standing before me. Where did I go? I feel like I am in a fat suit and that surely I am not this large. Then realty sets in...I am that fat! There, I said it.

Up until a few weeks ago, I have mentally thought I was thinner. Ever feel that way? Your inner person is "different" than your outer person? My inner person is me pre-baby days. I was never super thin, but wasn't this sumo wrestler that I have become...the outer me.

I know that I need to be more active, eat better, cut back on sugary stuff, stop drinking iced tea and pop, etc. I am lazy and stubborn. I don't want to do any of that. I want to wake up one morning and be "skinny" me. 

As my birthday approaches, I am reminded that two years ago, my husband purchased an elliptical machine for me. I was going to use it every day and see the pounds melt away. Um..not so much. It is mostly used to hang stuff on or a toy for the kids to play with. It sits in our Schoolhouse, calling out to me daily, dusty, lonely, waiting. Then there is me, sitting at my desk, trying to avoid looking at it, eating Twizzlers or whatever I have stashed away in my filing cabinet, getting larger and larger.

In one of the devotionals I have read lately, I was reminded that our bodies are a Temple for the Holy Spirit....say what? My Temple is not in shape to house the Holy Spirit. I need to remodel this place for Him to reside comfortably. Not only my physical Temple but my mental one as well. I cannot do this alone. I have learned that over the years. I have tried dieting, not eating, WW, exercising, etc. What I truly need is to feed my hunger with God's Word. I need to do a "room by room" assessment of my Temple and begin the process and realize that the transformation will not occur overnight. Stop comparing myself with others. Be content in who God made me. 

So, starting now, my body is under construction...just like most roads in Pennsylvania. Not sure how long the construction will last or how many detours I'll have to travel, but the orange signs and cones are going up. My foreman is God and I couldn't be any happier. 

Heavenly Father,

Lord I thank you for giving me the strength to open up to these women about my major insecurity in life, my body. Guide me and give me the endurance to rebuild the Temple you gave me. Forgive me for not taking better care of myself, Lord. Be with other women out there who feel as I do. Give them the endurance and strength they need. They are not alone, Lord. You are with them always. For that, we are grateful. Amen

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