"Don't you know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you?" 1 Corinthians 3:16 NCV
"You realize, don't you, that you are the temple of God, and God himself is present in you? No one will get away with vandalizing God's temple, you can be sure of that. God's temple is sacred - and you, remember, are the temple." 1Corinthians 3:16-17 The Message
There's nothing like posting pictures of yourself on Facebook to realize that those extra 20 pounds are still there. Sometimes I hope that if I ignore them long enough, they'll just go away....but no such luck. In my head my rationalizing thoughts immediately chime in: I don't want to be obsessed with my weight, I've been this size for a long time, It's just my natural shape, I don't have time to exercise....all of which are somewhat true. However, when I think of my body as God's temple, these excuses fall pretty short.
Yes, my temple has gotten a bit sloppy and messy. Thankfully God loves me anyway, but that can't be another excuse to avoid exercise. If I was in charge of cleaning our church I certainly would want it looking it's best and prettiest, with all the needed repairs getting done promptly. Why is it any different when it comes to my body? My body is supposed to be God's hands and feet in this world...I wonder what kind of a first impression I'm making on His behalf?
Jesus, I am so grateful for the gift of your Spirit which lives in me. Help me to care for my body, Your temple, so that I may continue to do Your work. Help me not to vandalize my body with lack of exercise and poor eating habits. Give me the strength to make my body healthier and more attractive, so that I can be a visible and shining example of Your Spirit in this world.
Life Steps: Think about what you could do to improve your body's health and condition. Maybe we need to start first, with the attitude shift that is required when we see our bodies as God's temple. But what is the next step? For me, it is committing to exercising more often and more consistently, finding time to do it, and making it a priority. And definitely asking for God's grace to do it!
Monday, February 28, 2011
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Tackling my To-Do List With Jesus
"Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light."
Matthew 11:29-30 New Living Translation
"Walk with me and work with me - watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting upon you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly." Matthew 11:29-30 The Message
This week coming up scares me. The weekend is over before I noticed it had arrived, and I am still trying to finish laundry and figure out supper. But next week, with my husband away for work, babysitter juggling, a surprise late night work assignment and all of the usual chores and hurry-up "to-do's" is seeming pretty overwhelming. I just want to climb under the covers and wait for spring.
Jesus promises us that nothing he assigns us "to do" in this life will be too heavy or too difficult. He has faith in us and the gifts He provides us with. He also knows He is not asking us to do anything alone - in fact, He wants to be with us every step of the way. He reminds us we can learn from Him, as He took time to spend with His Father in prayer daily, and worked tirelessly caring for thousands of people. He never ran out of energy or inspiration, patience or love, because He was connected to the Father. He offers us His yoke - a way of sharing the burden that we are carrying - if we will only turn to Him.
Jesus, I long to find rest for my soul. Only in You can I find the peace and joy that I crave instead of the chaos and busyness of the world. Help me to take on Your yoke, so that my burdens will seem light. Open my heart and my mind so that I might live with the unforced rhythm of grace you promise us: a life that is light and free, and designed especially for me. Amen
Life Steps: Is there a burden I am carrying that seems too heavy to bear, or is the daily grind wearing on me until I can barely stand it? I will picture Jesus walking beside me as I go about my day, and know that I am not carrying this alone.
Matthew 11:29-30 New Living Translation
"Walk with me and work with me - watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting upon you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly." Matthew 11:29-30 The Message
This week coming up scares me. The weekend is over before I noticed it had arrived, and I am still trying to finish laundry and figure out supper. But next week, with my husband away for work, babysitter juggling, a surprise late night work assignment and all of the usual chores and hurry-up "to-do's" is seeming pretty overwhelming. I just want to climb under the covers and wait for spring.
Jesus promises us that nothing he assigns us "to do" in this life will be too heavy or too difficult. He has faith in us and the gifts He provides us with. He also knows He is not asking us to do anything alone - in fact, He wants to be with us every step of the way. He reminds us we can learn from Him, as He took time to spend with His Father in prayer daily, and worked tirelessly caring for thousands of people. He never ran out of energy or inspiration, patience or love, because He was connected to the Father. He offers us His yoke - a way of sharing the burden that we are carrying - if we will only turn to Him.
Jesus, I long to find rest for my soul. Only in You can I find the peace and joy that I crave instead of the chaos and busyness of the world. Help me to take on Your yoke, so that my burdens will seem light. Open my heart and my mind so that I might live with the unforced rhythm of grace you promise us: a life that is light and free, and designed especially for me. Amen
Life Steps: Is there a burden I am carrying that seems too heavy to bear, or is the daily grind wearing on me until I can barely stand it? I will picture Jesus walking beside me as I go about my day, and know that I am not carrying this alone.
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Fitting In?
"Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." Romans 12:2 NIV
"Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out." Romans 12:2 MSG
I have always wanted to fit in, and always felt that somehow I don't. I suspect that many of us want to be one of the "in crowd" or at least know we belong somewhere. I remember hoping maybe the right clothes or maybe a boyfriend would help me fit in as a teenager. At university having a couple of drinks and going to the bar helped me pretend I fit in for a few hours at least. When we moved to a new small town, at first the anonymity was fun...then it was lonely. My marriage was falling apart at the seams and I felt isolated and alone. I was beginning to get the message that I would never fit in, no matter what I did!
Loneliness and a sense of not fitting in, turned out to be a blessing in disguise, though it certainly didn't feel like it at the time. Who can you always go to when no one else is there? God, of course. I began to renew my friendship with Him, and He began renewing my mind, and then my life. It didn't matter that I didn't fit in...He had other plans and knew just where I would be a perfect fit.
Curiously, after I fixed my attention on God, as Romans 12:2 says, I had better relationships and more of them. Friends, old and new, came out of the wood work without any real effort to "fit in" on my part. Something had changed and it didn't seem to be the world. Could it be that I was changing from the inside out?
Today, I am happy to not fit in with today's culture. I am quite content to question the status quo: being so busy there is no time to think, so obsessed with money and things there is no time to enjoy life, so focused on myself that there is no consideration for others. Sometimes it is a challenge to explain why I choose to work part-time, why I make time to go to Mass and prayer group instead of carting my kids to competitive hockey, and why I'd rather go on a family vacation than own the latest designer brands. Hopefully the feeling of peace and happiness I have about these decisions speak for themselves. My prayer is that they are a reflection of God's renewing of my mind.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, please continue to change me from the inside out. Protect me from the way of the world, and renew my mind with Your Word. Help me to fix my attention on You each day, and remind me that You are where I belong. Amen
Life Steps: Identify one area of your life where you feel you fit in with today's culture. Pray about this to see if it is time to make a change, and let God renew your mind.
"Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out." Romans 12:2 MSG
I have always wanted to fit in, and always felt that somehow I don't. I suspect that many of us want to be one of the "in crowd" or at least know we belong somewhere. I remember hoping maybe the right clothes or maybe a boyfriend would help me fit in as a teenager. At university having a couple of drinks and going to the bar helped me pretend I fit in for a few hours at least. When we moved to a new small town, at first the anonymity was fun...then it was lonely. My marriage was falling apart at the seams and I felt isolated and alone. I was beginning to get the message that I would never fit in, no matter what I did!
Loneliness and a sense of not fitting in, turned out to be a blessing in disguise, though it certainly didn't feel like it at the time. Who can you always go to when no one else is there? God, of course. I began to renew my friendship with Him, and He began renewing my mind, and then my life. It didn't matter that I didn't fit in...He had other plans and knew just where I would be a perfect fit.
Curiously, after I fixed my attention on God, as Romans 12:2 says, I had better relationships and more of them. Friends, old and new, came out of the wood work without any real effort to "fit in" on my part. Something had changed and it didn't seem to be the world. Could it be that I was changing from the inside out?
Today, I am happy to not fit in with today's culture. I am quite content to question the status quo: being so busy there is no time to think, so obsessed with money and things there is no time to enjoy life, so focused on myself that there is no consideration for others. Sometimes it is a challenge to explain why I choose to work part-time, why I make time to go to Mass and prayer group instead of carting my kids to competitive hockey, and why I'd rather go on a family vacation than own the latest designer brands. Hopefully the feeling of peace and happiness I have about these decisions speak for themselves. My prayer is that they are a reflection of God's renewing of my mind.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, please continue to change me from the inside out. Protect me from the way of the world, and renew my mind with Your Word. Help me to fix my attention on You each day, and remind me that You are where I belong. Amen
Life Steps: Identify one area of your life where you feel you fit in with today's culture. Pray about this to see if it is time to make a change, and let God renew your mind.
Friday, February 25, 2011
Renovating My Heart and Mind
"Be made new in the attitude of your minds." Ephesians 4:23
As a teenager, I had a penchant for moving my furniture around, painting my room, adding and removing beloved objects and displaying momentos. If you could see around the dirty laundry, piles of books and clutter, I loved designing my space. My mom probably put up with this because it forced me to (at least occasionally!) clean my room. As a busy working mom, I no longer have the time to remodel the rooms of my house as often as I used to...although some of my walls are screaming for new paint and others are bare waiting to be filled.
I have been busy, during the last few years, with a far more important renovation...on the inside. If you could only have seen the state of my heart and my mind when I began...piles and piles of anger, sadness, hopelessness and chaos ; the clutter of false beliefs about myself, others and life; dirt and grime-covered negative thoughts constantly swirling in my head.
I still shake my head at the mess I see, but I know that I have come a long way in cleaning out the clutter, and beautifying my life. This was not a task to tackle alone...my friend Jesus was more than willing to help; he brought me a renovation crew of Christian friends; and taught me through his Word what to throw away, and what to replace it with.
The renovation is ongoing...it will not be complete anytime soon. But with daily time spent pondering God's Word, praying for a new heart and mind, and trying to listen for the Holy Spirit's gentle nudges, the renovation seems to be progressing. Little by little, He's changing me. Some day, I hope to be able to say as Paul does, "We, however, have the mind of Christ." (1 Corinthians 2:16)
Life Steps: Can you identify some of your negative thoughts or beliefs? See if you can find a Scripture quote that will help you renovate your mind and heart. For example, I often think to myself, "I can't do this." My renovated thought is "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength." (Phillipians 4:13)
As a teenager, I had a penchant for moving my furniture around, painting my room, adding and removing beloved objects and displaying momentos. If you could see around the dirty laundry, piles of books and clutter, I loved designing my space. My mom probably put up with this because it forced me to (at least occasionally!) clean my room. As a busy working mom, I no longer have the time to remodel the rooms of my house as often as I used to...although some of my walls are screaming for new paint and others are bare waiting to be filled.
I have been busy, during the last few years, with a far more important renovation...on the inside. If you could only have seen the state of my heart and my mind when I began...piles and piles of anger, sadness, hopelessness and chaos ; the clutter of false beliefs about myself, others and life; dirt and grime-covered negative thoughts constantly swirling in my head.
I still shake my head at the mess I see, but I know that I have come a long way in cleaning out the clutter, and beautifying my life. This was not a task to tackle alone...my friend Jesus was more than willing to help; he brought me a renovation crew of Christian friends; and taught me through his Word what to throw away, and what to replace it with.
The renovation is ongoing...it will not be complete anytime soon. But with daily time spent pondering God's Word, praying for a new heart and mind, and trying to listen for the Holy Spirit's gentle nudges, the renovation seems to be progressing. Little by little, He's changing me. Some day, I hope to be able to say as Paul does, "We, however, have the mind of Christ." (1 Corinthians 2:16)
Life Steps: Can you identify some of your negative thoughts or beliefs? See if you can find a Scripture quote that will help you renovate your mind and heart. For example, I often think to myself, "I can't do this." My renovated thought is "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength." (Phillipians 4:13)
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