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.

It Begins...

Although I've been talking about it for a while, today it became real.  Jay from Numana delivered enough food to provide me with one serving per day for a year.

Two boxes.  Enough food for one person for one year in two 33-pound boxes.  I'm sure that each week when I fill my grocery cart, it contains more food than this.  Yet for many people, this is the one meal they get each day.  This is the food that they thank God for and devour hungrily and gratefully.

John Gasangwa inspired me through this episode from Lifetree Café.  As a child he was taken to a hospital where he was given an armband.  This armband represented food...life.  Those with armbands received one bowl of porridge per day.  He survived.

As the week went on I found myself more aware of the quantity of food we consume and the reasons that we consume it.  We don't eat because we are hungry.  Our stomachs are like spoiled children--when they make a little noise we satisfy them.  It's not just our stomachs; it's also our emotions.  Whether we are happy, sad, lonely, getting together with friends, angry (the list goes on and on), we punctuate these emotions with food.

We don't see food as fuel for our bodies.  We view food as entertainment.  We can take it or leave it.  And most of us (including me) are taking more than our bodies need.  We are worried about taste, texture, and even presentation.  Ridiculous.

Although I don't have access to the porridge that John was given, I am familiar with Numana, Inc.  A few years ago I participated in one of their packaging events with my youngest children.  As we put together the ingredients and sealed the bags, I realized that this small bag would serve six meals.  Would I even eat this if it was offered to me...or would I turn up my nose and track down a Quarter Pounder?  I emailed them.

My idea?  Experience hunger.  Survive on one serving of Numana's product per day for a year.  An armband will serve as a reminder that not everyone gets to make the choice daily about what and how much they will eat.  Why would I do this?  One reason is completely selfish--I want to understand.  Similar to fasting, I believe the spiritual benefits will greatly outweigh the discomfort.  The other reason is to increase awareness of hunger and support for the organizations that are fighting it.  I'm challenging you to make a commitment to set aside a donation that you would be willing to repeat for every month I am successful.  It might be just $1 a month.  It doesn't have to be a huge commitment on your part.  But those dollars will add up to provide me an incentive when I want to give in to my spoiled appetite.

Just one daily serving of Numana for one daily serving Jesus Christ.

The project starts August 1, 2012.  What do you say?