Your Body is a Temple

I’m sure you have heard the phrase, “your body is a temple.” Like some other colloquial phrases, this statement actually originates from the bible. First Corinthians 6:19-20 says, “Do you not know your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought at for a high price: therefore glorify God in your body.”

Like most things in the world, well intended bible scriptures can be warped and watered down to fit any meaning we desire. In context, I understand this verse to be a comment made in a letter to the church at a Corinth from the Apostle Paul. This section of the letter is to help the church, and us, understand that Jesus made a large sacrifice for us on the Cross. By accepting that sacrifice, we now have the Holy Spirit alive and well in our bodies. With something so sacred living inside us, it should be our goal to treat our bodies with the upmost care. Paul compares our body to a temple because Temples, at the time, were considered sacred as well. How a person behaved in the temple, what they brought into it and even how they dressed in the space was extremely important. Their behavior was a clear reflection of their respect for God. Paul suggests we should treat our bodies with the same intent.

As time has progressed, culture has often shortened the phrase to “your body is a temple.” The phrase has become popular in health/wellness or spiritual spaces. I work a Group Fitness Instructor and often feel tempted to roll my eyes when I hear the average “gym bro” talking about how his protein intake helps him “treat his body like temple.” All the while, spending glorious amounts of time binge drinking on the weekends. Not very consistent is it? Well, as much as I would like condemn such behavior, I can’t say I’ve been much different.

Maybe its the fact that 30 is around the corner or that I’ve recently been diagnosed with some unfun gut problems, but I’ve been thinking a lot about my body lately. When I started the year, my roommates and I made some goals. One of mine was to start getting into the best shape of my life. This meant getting strong, eating clearer, sleeping more consistently, etc. It was a good goal, but to be honest, I didn’t realize how hard it was going to be to achieve. Yes, I’ve made some progress as I have now hit some strength goals, adopted appropriate eating portions and cut back on alcohol. In opposition, I also feel like a toddler going through a sleep regression as I’ve recently developed a bout of insomnia. Lastly, I have not cracked the case on exercising during the weekend, and I’m pretty sure I have some type of vitamin deficiency. Fun times!

My goal is sharing these thoughts is to make this point: temples aren’t built in a day. As a matter of fact, it often takes years. Sometimes, the better part of a decade. It took Solomon 7 years to rebuild the Temple after it was destroyed. Then, it was destroyed again. I feel the same way about our bodies. The body I had a child is not the one I had in Highschool and the one I have now is DEFINITELY not the one I had in college. My knees can attest to that! However, each version was a temple of the Holy Spirit, and the room I made for him may not have been the best. Like the time I woke up from a night out with braids full a dried vomit smelling of Jack in the Box. (A story for another time, but not my shining moment).

The point being, my body is always under construction, but I don’t think that’s a bad thing. At the end of the day, I think the Lord is pleased by our desire to do right by him. The goal is to make our bodies a healthy place for the spirit to reside. Thankfully, the joy of building process is we have our entire lives to do it. The pay off is that the more time we invest in our temple, the longer it potentially stands. Of course, a long life is not guaranteed, but when the work is complete it will always be worth it.

I may never be the girl who drinks a gallon of water a day, squats hundred of pounds and only eats organic food. To be honest, I will probably be the girl who successfully finishes one pass of a 32oz Hydro Flask, walks a mile around the park and celebrates with half a Crumbl cookie. Well, I’m proud of that girl. Her temple is being built one brick at a time, and so it yours. Be patient with yourself and let the Holy Spirit have some input on the design of his house.