05/26/14

Today marks the official beginning of the summer season.

I am ready for summer.

I am thankful for the warm days and sunny skies.

I am trying to enjoy sweating.  :P

Summertime is a time of working in the yard, going on vacations (a lot of times, the beach), having cookouts, no school, relaxation, and a respite from the world.

As I reflect on the summer months, the Lord has honed in on something with me in the last couple of days and He has compelled me to "chew" on it.  Please allow me to share from my heart....

The Lord has been dealing with me on the topic of my body being His temple.

How does my body being His temple and summertime mesh together?  Stay with me:

My body is now His temple because the Holy Spirit came to live within me the moment I asked Christ to save me from my sins.  The temple is not the church building, but the believers themselves.

With my body being His temple, how I use it is either to glorify Him as my Lord or to show others I am no different from this world in which we live.   

I am a work in progress, as each of you are, so please take these points the Lord has been showing me as a way to "chew" on things in your own life.  This is only coming from a heart that is desiring to become more like Christ.

1.  How I dress.
In this world of ours, we are shown the latest and greatest fashions of the day.  We are bombarded with low cut, high cut, and everywhere in between.  I do not want to live back in the ages of wearing extremely long dresses, petticoats and corsets and that if my ankles show I am offensive. However, I know that how I dress is a reflection of my Temple of the Lord.

I want to be covered.  I want to look appropriate.

Short shorts, low-cut shirts, high-rise shirts.... what do people think when they see you walking down the street?  Modesty does not mean frumpiness and culottes.

Let's think of beachwear.  Ooohh... yeah, sore subject.

Would you wear a bikini to church?  As a Christian, your body is God's Temple and you are a reflection of Him... even in that itsy-bitsy-teeny-weeny-yellow-polkadot-bikini.  What does that say to others?

Let's face it, it's no different than your underwear.  It just comes in cute colors and designs.

What are you sending out to young men who are trying to keep their eyes/hearts pure?  Having a teenage son now has opened my eyes to this even more.  He struggles when he sees girls in revealing bathing suits and it bothers him.

There are plenty of bathing suits out there that are appropriately made and I am not talking about these, either:

Check out this link to Rey Swimwear.  They are adorable and fashionable without revealing everything.  There are plenty of places to find ones less revealing that are in your price budget.


2.  What I choose to put inside my body.
Having been on my weight loss journey, this has become more and more important to me.  However, it is not just for those who are trying to lose weight.

How does it look when you have gone back for that fifth plate of mounding food at the summer picnic?  We need to be careful about our gluttonous moments.  What is your outward weight showing others?  This is something that is hit home to me.  I know there are those out there who struggle and have reasons as to why the weight is there, but what if it is truly because you excuse it saying you just "love to eat?"  How is that being a keeper of your Temple of the Lord?

How about what you drink?  Ooooh.... there I go again... another sore subject.

I know of many people who think social drinking as believers in Christ is just fine.  I am not here to condemn or judge.  I just want to give you something on which to think.

What does that alcoholic drink in your hand show others about your Temple of the Lord?

Does that image truly draw others to Christ?  Can you see how it can be a stumbling block for someone else to come to Christ? 

Alcohol does more harm in marriages, families, and any other relationship than it does for good.  Why would one want to begin something that could cause harm?  Saying "it's just a little" is one thing, but it can lead to so much more.  As a friend of mine shared with me "Don't start something you can't stop."


3.  How I choose to speak.
Oh, goodness.... this is a hard one, too.

We all get angry.  We all get annoyed. We all want to be "cool."

How much of that shows in our words?  It is easy during the summer to get caught up with those around us and sometimes we take on words or thoughts that may not reflect we are speaking from the Temple of the Lord.

I have to ask the Lord daily to set a guard on my mouth. 


As I look back on what I have written, I can see how the Lord has been and is continuing to work in me on all of these.

Let's remember that we may be the only Bible anyone ever reads.   

Do we speak one way of loving the Lord and in our dress and actions show a different way?

Here is a song I heard as I was out in the yard today.  As some of the lyrics say.... "People pass and even if they don't know my name is there evidence that I've been changed.... When they see me, do they see You?"

Respect your body... it is your Temple of the Lord and it was bought with a price.

 I Corinthians 6:19-20: Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.

05/05/14

Today has been one of those days.

One of those days that as a parent you realize it "ain't for sissies."

One of those days where you wonder if you are doing it right.

One of those days where you are wondering if you are doing it all wrong.

Fast forward to the end of the day....

It was a busier afternoon after school than I had planned.  Several errands were run and one errand was not planned until last minute.

I had papers to grade and other things to get done in the house.

I got the papers graded, but not the other...

I needed to exercise, but honestly was quite tired.  These allergies this year are really getting to me.  I felt drained... physically and parentally.  (new word I made up....)  I truly had already talked myself out of exercising for today and I would make up for it tomorrow.

The Lord called me outside.

It was close to dark, though.

I couldn't go far and feel safe by myself.

I began walking around the barns and up and down our driveway.  It wasn't the workout I normally do, but at least it was something.

Then this song came on and the Lord reminded me why I was outside:


He drew me to Him.  He drew me to His Creation.

I normally am not someone who just goes out and stares into the sky at night, but He showed me tonight I needed that reminder of His Creation when it's getting dark.

The moon was out by the time I finished my walk and I began counting stars.... just two stars and a planet lit up the sky.

I began to recall the quote from Amy Carmichael, missionary to India, who shared that the stars are always shining, even in the daytime, but it isn't until it is darkest that you actually see them.  Those stars represent the treasures we gain through the dark times in life.

I had to run inside and take care of a couple of things, but the Lord drew me back outside to sit on the deck.

I took the time to be still before Him again in a way I normally do not do.

I stared at the moon and stars.

I began to watch as more and more stars appeared.

I saw how the moon beamed so brightly even though it isn't quite at half.

I felt like I was just alone with the Lord.

It brought tears to my eyes.

It brought a joy to my soul.

It brought an awe of the Lord to my heart that I had allowed to become ordinary.

This will be one of those nights I will remember.

I didn't walk away from that display of God's Creation tonight having all my questions answered or my parental struggles solved.

What I did walk away with tonight was a closeness.  A closeness to my Savior that HE is there, and He will be giving me the treasures all along the way of my trials.

I just have to take the time to look up.