That was one of the messages that I got from a retreat on Practical Christianity this weekend. I spent the weekend listening to that still small voice from within. It was telling me that as much as I want to love God, I need to also learn to love myself as God loves me. God loves the authentic me, and in my ego-centeredness I may or may not be close at all to knowing who that person is.
I know who I think I should be, but does that mean that my opinion of who I am and where I am going is the same as God's? Probably far from it. It is only through lots of intentional prayer, and discernment that I will ever come to know who it is that God sees when God looks at me.
Fr. Adrian, (our retreat master) said we should look at it as though we are athletes training for competition. We can't become elite level Christians without intentionally setting aside time to make ourselves fit enough to be the person God sees us to be. We have to work on our whole self; mind, body and spirit.
I am good at working on the spirit and mind part of my elite level training program. I love to learn new things, I am constantly reading spiritual books and the bible and spending time in prayer and meditation. I spend time offering my services to others in volunteer activities and share my joy of salvation with others every chance I get.
Where I fall down is taking care of my body. I need to get more exercise, and learn to eat better to control my blood pressure and blood sugar. Exercise would help my arthritis. Eating right coupled with the exercise would lead to weight loss which would in turn be good for my knees.
So, I am going to try really hard to work on myself. I am going to spend some time every day being intentional about taking care of my body which is a temple of the Holy Spirit; the place where God resides. Because from now on it is not I but Christ who lives in and through me, and He shouldn't have to live in a place that looks like it ought to be condemned.
PAX
I am good at working on the spirit and mind part of my elite level training program. I love to learn new things, I am constantly reading spiritual books and the bible and spending time in prayer and meditation. I spend time offering my services to others in volunteer activities and share my joy of salvation with others every chance I get.
Where I fall down is taking care of my body. I need to get more exercise, and learn to eat better to control my blood pressure and blood sugar. Exercise would help my arthritis. Eating right coupled with the exercise would lead to weight loss which would in turn be good for my knees.
So, I am going to try really hard to work on myself. I am going to spend some time every day being intentional about taking care of my body which is a temple of the Holy Spirit; the place where God resides. Because from now on it is not I but Christ who lives in and through me, and He shouldn't have to live in a place that looks like it ought to be condemned.
PAX
1 comment:
I do not know if our daughter got a hold of you, but she was also looking for your cell and I gave it to her. Thank you for your ever kindness of offering to help another.
Maggie, I am in the same boat as you as of late. I try hard to work with this body and for the most part, I was doing okay, but this past year has taken a toll on mine too and I have been reading more and more about realizing that it is rather wrong to not take care of the Temple of the Holy Spirit, within reason, and not getting ridiculous about it, which at my age, that isn't going to happen! Ha! ;) Still, I think what I will do is this: Plan A...get back into it by 15 minutes of exercise 4 x's a day. That breaks it up nicely and then in time, I might get used to feeling better and more flexible again and then I could do 30 min once a day and 15 2 x's or 1 more 20 or 30 min. I think the idea is to get to where we just feel better because we know we are eating better and at least moving. I have got to get away from the breads and sat. fats somehow..it just isn't good probably. Rosemary Bogdan speaks of riding her bike lately something about the movement lubricates her painful knee. Did you read that post? Anyway, you are not alone, but I would not go so far as to say "condemned," but when I feel all blah, that is sorta how it feels, doesn't it? Ha! Okay..nuff said..thanks for a good post. Suz
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