Temple’s Beauty

“Stop saying and doing that.” I rolled my eyes and pretended I didn’t hear it. “Your body’s a temple.”

*Another eye roll* “What?”

“You heard me.”

But I didn’t want to hear her. I didn’t want to admit that those words were true.

I wanted her to be proud of the fact that all I had eaten that day was a protein bar. Didn’t that mean I had great self control? Wasn’t it good that I wasn’t overeating? Protein bars are healthy and will make me the skinniest and prettiest version of myself, right?

Self-control is a good thing and protein bars are healthy. But the problem is unhealthily controlling the things I eat is not true self-control and one protein bar is a snack not three meals.

By allowing myself to believe that my identity and worth is rooted in my physical appearance means that I am feeding myself one big lie.

“Do you not know that your body is a temple of the holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been purchased at a price. Therefore glorify God in your body.” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

I think something we can all agree on is that temples are beautiful. Like the breathtaking kind of beauty. The architecture, paintings, stained glass, intricate detail is all too stunning and transcendent. These places of worship bring people together and better yet — closer to God.

So now I ask you or even remind you if you’ve heard it all before: Do you know what your body is? Your body is a temple for the Holy Spirit to reside and flourish. This means your body is to be respected. Each and every one of us is a temple. And not just any temple: it is your temple to house the Holy Spirit. It is your temple to allow the spirit of God Himself to dwell in you.

And now I ask you: Do you know that you are not your own? Our bodies are not our own. They are the most beautiful gifts God has given us to care for. When I think about beautiful gifts I think about my new IPhone. I remember holding it in my hands like it was a newborn baby. I bought the best case for it and told every single person who touched it to be careful with it.

Now, a phone is nowhere close to the gift of our bodies, but do you see what I mean? Our bodies are held in the hands of God. He bought us with a price — His Son — and told all of humanity of the beauty of His creation when He gave His Only Son. This is how we should view the gift of our bodies, which is more beautiful than any new and shiny phone. We should be gentle with ourselves and make sure we are careful with ourselves and in our actions.

I tell you (and myself every single day): Glorify God with your body.

This is true body confidence: My body is beautiful and meant for more than a protein bar a day and endless words of hate. It is a little temple for God Himself. It is a gift. And it is meant to give all the glory back to the Creator.