Just as a quick preface, this isn't a self-depreciating post. I do feel good about myself and my health. Because I am a woman though, there are innumerable ways in which my contentment tries to be robbed from me. I am consistently turning to the Lord in thanks for what I have and am able to do, and pleading for eyes to see through the lies and deceptions that are joy destroying and God-replacing. I hope this helps you understand the unspoken feelings behind this post; and if not, trust that I, like you, am simply trying to be a voice for truth.
****
A few months ago I was getting caught up on one of my new favorite shows, and because I had immediate ability to watch episode after episode, I found myself glued to the show, trying to shift off my duties as a mom so that I could find out what happened next. It was a little sickening to watch that much TV, but I just *had* to know what would happen! One day I was reading my scriptures, and I came across a verse that mentioned the word "temperance," and I thought to myself, "you know what? I don't really understand that word, so I'm going to look it up." This is what I found; temperance means, "not extreme in behavior." Immediately I had that sinking feeling, "oh boy, I am NOT temperate!" My back to back episode watching was in deed very extreme, unhealthy, and unsustainable. I had to stop. And so I did, after the season was over. Yep, I didn't do what I needed to do right away; I was blatantly being the opposite of what I needed to be. And once it was all done, I was disappointed in myself. I had gained little by gratifying my immediate desire for closure on a made-up, not real, not-worth-my-whole-day show! I had some repenting to do... And some character redefining to do.
Thankfully bad personal moments, like above, have their redeeming qualities too. I have taken to the word "temperance" and looked how to apply it in more of my life. I understand now why the Lord has directed us to be "temperate in all things" (Alma 38:10).
One aspect of life I see being abused is our bodies. Satan's unchanging desire is for us to misuse our bodies; and he does it in a way that is like the wolf in sheep's clothing; starting with a good desire and turning it into a ravenous cancer. Because it is a concern of mine to be "temperate in all things," and to be kind to my body while promoting healthy habits, and also because I see a great trend of intemperance (yes, that means, "excessive in behavior") when it comes to our bodies, I have done a special scripture study to help me understand better how to walk the right line. My study has lead me to powerful scriptures. Scriptures that add to my basic knowledge which is:
-Our bodies are a gift from God
-Our bodies are meant to enhance our spiritual qualities, and aid us in serving the Lord
-Our bodies are meant to help us experience joy (2 Nephi 2:25)
-Our bodies are patterned after the image of God (Moses 2:27)
-Our bodies are to help bring spirit sons and daughters of Heavenly Father into this world (Moses 2).
Doctrine and Covenants 12:8 teaches, "And no one can assist in this work except he shall be humble and full of love, having faith, hope, and charity, being temperate in all things, whatsoever shall be entrusted to his care." God has blessed us with our bodies. We are entrusted with the care of both our physical bodies and our spirits. Both enhance the other. The adversary knows this. From the beginning with Adam and Eve, he has worked consistently to get men (and women, of course) to misuse their bodies in two prominent ways: abuse or neglect. The area of my focus is that of abuse.
"Confounded be all they that serve graven images that boast themselves of idols..." (Psalms 97:7). The word "graven" means, "cut or impressed into a surface \ cut into a desired shape." The other day I saw a picture (one of many innumerable images of its kind) of a shirtless guy doing some crazy workout with comments about getting ripped like him, to "hit it hard," and it dawned on me, "these are graven images..." Could it be that we are so focused on making ourselves look a certain "shape" that we have "impressed" that image into the surface of our minds, and are now serving the image as our false master? Could it be that we are, as the scripture said, "confounded" or less than we could be because our attention is so given to our "graven image" of the "perfect" body?
1 Corinthians 3:16 teaches, "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?" In a temple you expect it to be a place where the Spirit can be felt. You expect it to be beautiful and uplifting. Our bodies are to magnify our spiritual capacities; our abilities to do good. Is it so, that we can forget the nourishment of our souls because we are so focused on the appearance of our bodies? Elaine S. Dalton taught, "When you came to the earth, you were given the precious gift of a body. Your body is the instrument of your mind and a divine gift with which you exercise your agency. This is a gift that Satan was denied, and thus he directs nearly all of his attacks on your body. He wants you to disdain, misuse, and abuse your body." How are we treating ourselves? Do we remember to have personal charity? Do we eat, exercise, etc to glorify God's gift to us? Are we being temperate in those things, or are we allowing Satan to gain a foothold in our hearts and minds to distract us from what is truly important? Again to repeat Sister Dalton, "Your body is the instrument of your mind and a divine gift with which you exercise your agency."
To quote from the For Strength of Youth's section on Physical and Emotional Health;
"Your body is a temple, a gift from God. You will be blessed as you care for your body. Choose to obey the Word of Wisdom (see D&C 89). When you are obedient to this law, you remain free from harmful addictions and have control over your life. You gain the blessings of a healthy body, an alert mind, and the guidance of the Holy Ghost. You will be prepared to serve the Lord. Never let Satan or others deceive you into thinking that breaking the Word of Wisdom will make you happier, more popular, or more attractive.
"To care for your body, eat nutritious food, exercise regularly, and get enough sleep. Practice balance and moderation in all aspects of your physical health. Also, avoid extremes in diet that could lead to eating disorders. Do not intentionally harm your body. Avoid dangerous activities that put your body at risk of serious injury."
Are we moderate? Are we temperate in our exercise and eating? Are we seeking after a graven image or the image of God?
As Jesus asked, "what seek ye?" (John 1:38). Are we seeking after the fountain of youth like dear old Ponce de León? Or are we seeking after the fountain of truth?
Our bodies are such a divine gift. It seems a shame to me that so often we find ourselves unhappy with all that we do have. I think of all that we can become due to the obtaining of a physical body, and I am indeed grateful for this tremendous gift of life and experience. We earn the reward of that which we seek: "For as he seeketh, so is he..." (Proverbs 23:7).
I think of sweet Elder Holland and his pleading with us women to be kinder to ourselves, and to spend less time longing to look like someone else. I quote him now:
"I plead with you young women to please be more accepting of yourselves, including your body shape and style, with a little less longing to look like someone else. We are all different. Some are tall, and some are short. Some are round, and some are thin. And almost everyone at some time or other wants to be something they are not! But as one adviser to teenage girls said: “You can’t live your life worrying that the world is staring at you. When you let people’s opinions make you self-conscious you give away your power. … The key to feeling [confident] is to always listen to your inner self—[the real you.]” 8 And in the kingdom of God, the real you is “more precious than rubies.” 9 Every young woman is a child of destiny and every adult woman a powerful force for good. I mention adult women because, sisters, you are our greatest examples and resource for these young women. And if you are obsessing over being a size 2, you won’t be very surprised when your daughter or the Mia Maid in your class does the same and makes herself physically ill trying to accomplish it. We should all be as fit as we can be—that’s good Word of Wisdom doctrine. That means eating right and exercising and helping our bodies function at their optimum strength. We could probably all do better in that regard. But I speak here of optimum health; there is no universal optimum size.
"Frankly, the world has been brutal with you in this regard. You are bombarded in movies, television, fashion magazines, and advertisements with the message that looks are everything! The pitch is, “If your looks are good enough, your life will be glamorous and you will be happy and popular.” That kind of pressure is immense in the teenage years, to say nothing of later womanhood. In too many cases too much is being done to the human body to meet just such a fictional (to say nothing of superficial) standard. As one Hollywood actress is reported to have said recently: “We’ve become obsessed with beauty and the fountain of youth. … I’m really saddened by the way women mutilate [themselves] in search of that. I see women [including young women] … pulling this up and tucking that back. It’s like a slippery slope. [You can’t get off of it.] … It’s really insane … what society is doing to women.”(Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, "To Young Women").
There are many things to distract us from developing our talents, interests, and spirituality. I have had to ask myself recently to evaluate the time I spend doing specific activities: working out, social media, and scripture study. Their rankings (in terms of time spent doing each) did not reflect how I feel of their importance. Needless to say, much of my social media time could be replaced by a more personal, thorough scripture study, or the setting of goals to acquire or use personal interests/talents.
This Saturday we enjoyed a family bike ride to the park. As we were riding I was telling Richard a fitness goal for myself, not in a whiny way but as topic of conversation, and I was touched by my husband's response. He said, "I am going to ask you to do something really hard. I am going to ask you to be perfectly content with how you are now." His words "perfectly content" touched my heart, and I felt a spiritual confirmation, through my husband, yes, that I am healthy and to be very happy with that.
To close where I started, just like in my endless episode watching, I have discovered that the way I spend my time, the things I focus my mind on all have their ability to change and to daily be more like what my Savior would have me do and think. In terms of my body, I am going to keep a wise stewardship over it, with the goal of health; both spiritual and physical; and I will strive to remember to glorify God trough it because, "By the grace of God I am what I am..." (1 Cor 15:10).
No comments:
Post a Comment