My Body Image By Pete Briscoeনমুনা

Looking beyond the physical

Health is not valued till sickness comes. — Dr. Thomas Fuller

After God created Adam and Eve’s bodies, He said everything was “very good.” But that was before sin; that was before Adam and Eve were kicked out of Eden. Sadly, we no longer live in the best place to take care of our bodies the way we want/need to. This is bad news because despite its complexity, despite its importance (or even arguably partly because of these), the human body is vulnerable to things it was never designed to withstand.

Your body is susceptible.

God intended for the human body to be used in a certain way. If it's used differently than He intended, there are going to be natural consequences. Too much alcohol, too much food, sex outside of a monogamous life-long union... if you don't follow Scripture, you can bring upon yourself obesity, heart disease, alcoholism, sexually-transmitted diseases, etc. God has our best interest in mind when He commands things like this:

Do not join those who drink too much wine or gorge themselves on meat. (Proverbs 23:20)

Because we live in a world bombarded with the effects of the Fall and sin, many things may come upon us through no fault of our own. Allergies, Alzheimer’s, cancer… many ailments are not always caused by our actions or result from any sins we may commit, but that does not lessen their effects in the slightest.

Are you feeling the susceptibility of your physical body today? God’s Word puts it in eternal perspective:

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:16-18)

Eternal Father, give me the willingness and ability to look beyond the physical and the temporary today, so that I might see what is unseen and find hope in the eternal. Amen.

Reflection:

1) Do you believe that God views you as beautiful and unique?

2) How can you offer yourself to God for His righteousness?

3) What can I do to better take care of all God has given me…spirit, soul and body?

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