Thanksgiving, the time to remember what our country was founded on. The truths and freedoms our founders strove for and the hardships they endured. It is the day we celebrate our history and remember all that we are truly thankful for.
It is also the day that, for me at least, kicks of the holiday season and that means food. Especially in the South. And true to my Southern roots I love to eat…a lot.
Just this past November I decided I needed to be healthy. So with a new eating plan I set out on my healthy journey. It really wasn’t so bad. I really did feel better and then Thanksgiving rolled around. Psh, of course I was going to eat whatever I wanted. I told myself I would exercise self-control…but then pie and cake, and mashed potatoes and…all that happened and well I gave up completely.
Up to this point I had noticed some improvements in my overall health (allergies lessening was a big one). All that came to a halt and reversed (especially the allergies {as I sit here with a sudden rash on my hands}). Just the other day it all climaxed (aside from the rash), and it was in this moment that God lent down and place a quiet yet profound thought in my mind (albeit not a new one).
My body is the temple of the Holy Spirit.
If that be true (and it is), should I not do my best to take care of His temple? God’s place of residence is within me. Just as the Israelites had to take such care of the tabernacle, this heart and body are His, it should be cared for as such. Not saying I will be going on such strict regulations and completely deny myself any enjoyment whatsoever, but with that thought in my heart and mind I should like to care for the temple God has made me keeper of in the best way possible. So here I have, hopefully, learned from “gluttony” and lack of self-control and hope to put the lesson to good use. For myself, yes, but mainly for the the furtherance of the Kingdom.
This certainly not your typical Thanksgiving blog post but I am thankful that God would choose to teach me these lessons and even be patient with me when I have to learn the same lesson over and over. Perhaps maybe in sharing this someone else can also take this lesson to heart without actually having to go through the class.
Through Christ,
Brooke
