Our Bodies...Now and Then

I think I had lots of prayers for me last night because I had a much, much better day today.

And I realized that I have exactly 40 days left.  Forty more days of prayers from you all would be welcomed!

Mondays are weigh-in days and I was shocked to see that I was down 7 pounds this week.  Our bodies are sure weird and beyond my comprehension.

After taking a shower this morning and drinking some cranberry-pomegranate juice, I headed to the gym and worked out while listening to God's Word on my iPod.  What a great way to start my day!

And it was a busy one.  

I'm preaching the next two Sundays so I've got lots of preparation to do on top of my typical responsibilities and homework.  A Greek quiz is calling my name right now...and I'm not ready to answer.  

Tonight our Lifetree Cafe episode was on having a healthy body image.  The discussion that took place among the college students was interesting.  They have grown up with technology so they said things like, "Well, everyone knows that the images in the magazines are "Photo-shopped".  Yes, I would agree that their generation is pretty aware of that.  Then a guy said, "But even though we all know it, we still hold those images as our ideal."

One of the young ladies in the group is from Zimbabwe.  She said she didn't understand when she came to our country why so many of her female friends were constantly dieting and worrying about their weight.  She indicated that this is not the case in the culture in which she was raised.  In fact, with hunger being an issue in many areas of her country, a larger figure is a sign of health and is seen as normal if not desirable.  

I pray that she has not let our culture negatively affect her positive self-image.

The whole conversation made me wonder how our glorified bodies will look.  Will my face be recognizable?  Will I have the same body but perfect proportions?  Are the proportions that we have deemed perfect the same that God deems as perfect?  Will I weight 200 pounds or maybe 135 pounds?   Would I need a bigger bra or smaller shoes?  

I honestly believe that these questions will seem silly and will be quite irrelevant.  Maybe we'll even laugh at our selfish obsessions as we finally truly enjoy the bodies that God has provided for us.

No matter what your size is today, make the most out of the body you have...dance, swim, exercise...  

Don't let your self-consciousness of your shape (thin or thick) keep you from fully participating in life.