Episode 004: Radiant Health
I honestly didn’t want to write this session, because I knew I’d need to follow through with whatever the Holy Spirit brings to light. I got stuck reading through Ecclesiastes when the writer, giving advice to young and old, says, “So refuse to worry, and keep your body healthy.” (Ecclesiastes 11:10) Here’s a tip, if you aren’t looking for advice, don’t read Ecclesiastes.
Why are healthy habits the first thing to go when you’re tired, your schedule is full, the kids are crazy, or you spot your favorite latte back on the menu? I love it when they ask me if I want the brown sugar topping. Hello, fall only comes once a year, of course, I want the brown sugar topping, and don’t forget the whipped cream.
I do make efforts to live healthily. I don’t purchase Little Debbie’s, except at Christmas because the tree-shaped ones have the most edges. I always get the baked chips, even though I will steal a kettle-cooked one off your plate when you aren’t looking. I like all the salads; I also like all the dressings and the cheeses. I use a workout app on my phone, but I turned the notifications off because the app kept telling me I wasn’t active enough and I didn’t need any extra negativity in my life. I own a stationary bike and weight equipment, all located in the basement storage room where I can’t possibly work out because it’s too cold.
Here's the problem, my bathroom scale has become the scoreboard for my health. Stepping on that scale, after a few months of feeling like I did okay, my score went up five, adding to the ten from the last year. This isn’t Football, more points do not score a win. Where had those extra pounds even come from? Certainly not the two brownies I consumed in victory after folding and putting away all the laundry. Or from the three helpings of pasta, I DESERVED, at a work dinner earlier this week. Depressed as I felt, I didn’t put on workout clothes, I looked in my freezer for a dose of half-baked Ben & Jerry’s guaranteed to make me feel better.
And I know I’m not the only one to have fought this battle. Many of my conversations with friends and peers all center around one thing: our bodies, and how much we dislike them. I realized I simply had to take a different approach, I had to figure out how to quit defining myself by daily habits and a poor self-image.
If we don’t find a measure of accountability or self-control, we will end up justifying unhealthy actions for momentary pleasure.
Here’s what challenged my thinking, and maybe this thought is a new revelation to you, maybe it’s something you know but have forgotten, or maybe it’s something you choose to ignore:
God never intended for you to hate your body.
He does not mean for you to feel less than or inferior, ever, regardless of what the scale does or doesn’t reveal. Genesis 1:27 reminds us, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” Instead of how much do I weigh, maybe I need to be asking, am I a good reflection of my creator?
How can we rewire our thinking? Instead of trying to “be good”, how can you and I do a better job of stewarding the one body we have in this life?
By definition, a steward is a manager of someone else’s property. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 asks, “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, who you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.”
This body belongs to Him. I want to honor God, but I also enjoy raiding my chocolate stash, selecting “next episode” at midnight, and choosing to skip my yoga workout. I’m never happy with the results especially when the frequency of these choices becomes routine rather than a rare occurrence. I end up feeling bloated, I’m cranky, and my jeans keep shrinking. Why do I keep making the same poor health choices? I feel like Paul when he wrote, “For what I want to do I do not do…” (Romans 7:15).
The enemy fights to make us have a distorted view of ourselves. His primary goal will always be to separate us from our Creator, and what better way than by causing us to hate the very thing God created? We can refuse to let the enemy win and fight back with love, the weapon that beats hate every time.
Living radiantly means choosing to love your body and to love taking care of it.
Your makeup includes body, soul, and spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:23). Although all different, they are connected and affect one another. Your spirit is how you relate to God. Your soul is your mind, will, and emotions and is how you relate to yourself, your body is how you relate to the world around you. Health isn’t just about a number on the scale and food choices. Getting healthy means understanding we need to remove toxicity in all areas-body, soul, and spirit. Paul encourages us in the New Testament, “Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God” (2 Corinthians 7:1).
How do you begin?
First, recognize your value. Do others see someone who is loved and valued, or do my actions say otherwise? God demonstrated your value in this: when your life was marred with the ugliness of sin, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). You are precious in His sight. He desires to be in a relationship with you. To know you. Allow your soul to process your beauty in God’s eyes. You are worth every moment needed to invest in your health.
Second, recognize what you are consuming. A few years ago, during a yearly fast, I gave up drinking anything but water for 21 days. Day 22 I was practically dancing out of my chair, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on a Coke. Taking the first sip, I spit every drop right back into my cup. I thought maybe their soda flavoring or carbonation was low. A fresh glass proved no different. My beloved drink tasted like a sweetened cleaning product. I didn’t need to taste it to know how bad Coke was for me, the label spells out every ingredient. Taking the time to recognize what you’re consuming should be a priority, because what goes in will affect you in some way.
In the same way, I need to understand if I fill up on junk food, I won’t be hungry for the meal I need. If I’m not interested in how my decisions are affecting my relationship with God, is it because I’ve filled up my soul with substitutes? We can choose this advice, “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31)
A life lived for God, partaking of the things of God, surrendering our desires and our cravings to Him, will be more fulfilling than any substitute life we could create for ourselves.
Finally, recognize living healthy means a commitment to having self-control. It’s a journey, a process. It’s about daily choices. And I need to throw this in, it’s about making an occasional, rare choice to also follow additional advice from Ecclesiastes to, “Eat, drink, and be merry.” (Ecclesiastes 8:15) But if it’s not a holiday, what have you justified lately? Remember, if you're more mindful of the weight on the scale than of being obedient to the spiritual disciplines in his word, your cravings won’t change.
Cravings can indicate a variety of other things besides hunger: dehydration, fatigue, and stress.[1] Where do you need to take back control? Maybe it’s sleep, and you need to be disciplined about going to bed at a certain time, without a digital device. Maybe you need to drink more water or take vitamins. Maybe you need to do a grocery pick-up, so you aren’t tempted by the array of chocolate at the check-out. Maybe you need to take care of your skin.
Whatever that looks like for you-whether it’s apps and reminders, or long walks outside, which for me means it can’t be too hot or too cold, too windy or rainy, in a neighborhood with any crazy dogs, and only in the company of a friend. Don’t choose a substitute, instead, “put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like Him” (Colossians 3:10).
It’s not about the number on the scale, it’s about becoming more like Him.
Let’s encounter Him together in prayer.
Father, thank you for this life and for this body you’ve given me made in your image. I ask you to forgive me of not valuing myself the way you value me. I surrender my desires, and my cravings to you Lord. Help me to want the things you want. Give me the strength not to give in to temporary pleasures. I know you have a plan for my life, and I want to bring my best self to the world around me. Today, I put on the new nature I have in you. I lay down any justifications I have, and I choose instead to make choices which honor and reflect You. I love you, Lord. I’m so thankful your mercies are new every morning.
Let’s go live radiantly.
XOXO,
Laura
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Recommended reading to go deeper:
Made to Crave, by Lysa Terkeurst
Genesis 1
All scripture NIV unless otherwise noted
1 Katherine Kam, “The Facts About Food Cravings”, WebMD, September 21, 2023, webmd.com/diet/features
