Shampoo’d & conditioned my hair today to be played with by 5 little girls at the same time. I’m sitting on a pile of dirt on the edge of a playground that’s buzzing with laughter, squeals & a fall here & there. Did I mention the sweet 2 year old asleep on my lap after a face plant & some tears? My lap is definitely moist from a little accident but nothing else matters more than to squeeze this child as long as I can. I asked God to show me what it means to see my body as a temple & I think this is just a glimpse.
When I’m hung up on picking out an outfit for the day, feel like I can’t wear anything because my wardrobe is dirty, don’t want my hair to be messed with or get dirty, would I be brought back to this moment when none of it matters, not one bit. Romans 12:1 says, ”And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.“ I want to learn how to offer my body to be used as a living sacrifice every chance I get.
When I think of the word sacrifice, aside from God sending His son Jesus to the cross, I think of a nurturing mother. I think of the way a mother drops everything for the sake of saving her child from danger, the hours of sleep she gives up to nurse & comfort her child, the showers she gives up to make breakfast, lunch & dinner for her family, the personal time she gives up to drive her kids to & from practice everyday & the reality that she is always available to be a listening ear whenever needed.
Every time I close my eyes & think about my future… (you probably know this already if you know me well) but the first thing I picture are kids running throughout my house. Most of the kids don’t actually belong to me, they aren’t biologically related to my spouse or I but they all needed someone to choose, nurture & protect them. I tell people these dreams I have all the time & I’m continuously called crazy… but i’m okay with that!!!! If that’s crazy, I want to be crazy. I want the entirety of who I am to be used to show every single person I cross the love of Jesus & it starts with the children. ”Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him.” Psalms 127:3
I’m caught up on what Jesus fully means when He tells us, ”Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body” in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20. I want my body to be engulfed by the Holy Spirit in a way that even kids are overcome by His presence when I get the opportunity to care for them.
Jesus, help us to see our body as the temple you created it to be. Help us believe that the Holy Spirit actually resides in us, is real & is alive. Motivate our minds to perform actions & thoughts that are true worship to God. May our bodies be a place that houses devotion to you through everything it does.
Love always,
P
