Honor the Body

 This isn't one of the Ten Commandments. You won't find a distinct directive to "honor the body" anywhere in the Old or New Testament, except for Paul's directive to avoid sexual relationships not protected by a covenant. 

These books were written in a time when most people did a lot of physical work or manual labor.  Overeating wasn't a option unless you were very wealthy. Food was not readily or easily available for most people in the ancient world. Maintaining your home, fields, work place, finding and preparing food, making and repairing clothing and similar tasks involved physical work and took most of your waking hours. The average person had very little leisure time.

For many of us who live in North America or certain other parts of the world, we have a different problem. Our work often involves little movement, or involves a single solitary and repetitive movement in a shop or on an assembly line. Perhaps we work in offices or classrooms where most of the work is cerebral, not physical. We often have to schedule "movement time", or exercise.

Honoring the body is important because the body is our only way of remaining fully engaged in the world. That may seem obvious. Consider this: we fear paralysis or brain damage because although we may remain alive after these injuries, our lives often change in ways we wouldn't voluntary choose.

Our bodies of gifts from God, designed to allow us to fully engage with a three dimensional world.

Our bodies are not separate from our total being. They are the part of us formed by the very "hands of God"; our bodies are the only part of creation into which God "breathed the breath of life." (Genesis 2:7) Our bodies house the minds and spirits that make us fully human.

Too many voices in society tell us these concerns don't matter, but they do. 

In this year of the coronavirus, I made a deeper commitment to pay more attention to truly nourishing my body with healthy food, regular movement, adequate sleep, and consistent sun exposure. I have felt and functioned much better as a result of making these changes. These changes now feel natural, not strained or full of effort.

I began reading and listening to others who had new and different things to say about why care of the body is as important as prayer and worship and bible reading and good deeds.

Care of the body is a good deed, filled with rewards.

Some of these speakers did not embrace the Christian tradition, but they had meaningful, truthful, and useful things to say. 

Dr. Tumi Johnson (aka thepoemdances) taught me about good fast food (fresh fruit like pears, peaches, sweet berries instead of chicken nuggets) and helped me understand what we eat doesn't just pass through us. What we eat becomes us. She inspired me to borrow a book on basic human anatomy and physiology from my public library (which offers pick up service at a drive through window). As I looked at the color diagrams of the human digestive system, I realized why I needed to pay much more attention to what I sent into my digestive system as fuel for my body. The body simply wasn't designed to digest certain foods very easily. I realized if I prayed for health, I had to cooperate with my prayers by choosing the best food options I could access. 

I could pray, asking God to change my palate and help me to enjoy what was good for me and to dislike what harmed me. As I cooperated in seeking what was best, that prayer was answered.

I realize I have some unique advantages as I am not responsible for preparing food for others. I've done that in the past and I realize the challenges. It's still possible to move in the right direction. The small steps reinforce themselves with time. One step at a time gets you anywhere. 

Last month, I read Why We Sleep, by Matthew Walker. I'm accustomed to sleeping eight hours a night, but have friends who like to skip sleep for what they consider more important: creative work, meetings, travel turnaround time, watching movies, etc. From the book, I learned how sleep gives the brain the needed time to chemically cleanse itself. Sleep is the time our muscles completely relax. Sleep is the time our dreams help us process memories. Without this time, we cannot function as intended. Or as needed and designed. Sleep is holy time, as sacred as prayer.

What the body does is more important than what it looks like. Eventually, we all become what we repeatedly do. Our bodies will reflect the choices we make about how we value our bodies.

Reject the thinking that says a body's value differs if it is short or tall, full or slim, differently abled, brown or pale, kinky or straighter haired, etc.  Honor the body. It is a gift with a limited time span here.

The body is a sacred tool of our spirits,  given to us by God for pleasure, movement, interaction, and expression.  At a time of God's choosing the body will be resurrected into an eternal experience. As our souls and spirits are redeemed, so will our bodies be redeemed. Begin now to honor God's gift.

Honor the body.

Note: I am not affiliated in any way with Dr. Tumi Johnson or  with Matthew Walker.