Your Body – A Direct Connection to God

Last Year I had the opportunity to deliver the morning message at my church as a guest speaker. As I reflected on what I wanted to share this week, I was called to pull this out. This is a reflection tied to Proverbs 3: vs 1 – 8.

Talking about our bodies at church? Weird, right? But we should be!

It feels weird to be talking about the human body with you here at church. As I prepared for today, I felt uncomfortable, anxious, and worried that this wasn’t the right forum to be talking about such a personal topic. And then I realized why wouldn’t we want to talk about our bodies here, in the church?  All of us are human (as far as I know at least) and God gifted us each with a beautiful vessel to carry our spirit around on this Earth and carry out his will.

In Proverbs 3, we are encouraged to look inward; to keep God’s commands in our hearts as our guide to wellbeing.  I invite you now, to reflect with me this morning on this passage, from 2 different perspectives, dogs and babies.

Perspective from my dog:

I’ve learned a lot from my dog on how to treat my body. Remy is his name and he’s been my best friend for the last 7 years. His needs may seem simple from our viewpoint, but his animal instincts are true to his nature and he honors those needs and instincts. Which I’ve come to realize is an artform that in the hustle and bustle of human life, we sometimes ignore, our true nature and needs, that is.  Remy needs healthy food, clean water, exercise, love and attention, maybe the occasional treat for encouragement.  When he is getting all of these things regularly, he is a happy boy. His tail wags, he greets us like a puppy at the door with boundless amounts of energy, he sprawls on the bed and waits for us to come snuggle him, which if you have seen my dog, he can easily stretch across a queen sized bed and leave little room for his humans, but that’s fine with him.

But let’s talk about the days where something is off for him.  Maybe he ate too many treats the day before, (any humans relate to this?) and his stomach is now off.  Instead of forcing his food for the day, like you or I might do because we have a social gathering, he will take a nibble or leave his food until later. Or what about the days after he goes to puppy camp and has played with his pals all day and gotten copious amounts of exercise?  He is calm and focused on those evenings after camp. He is on his best behavior, listens well, is simply content. He also rests best on these days. And as he ages, he continues to listen to his body, and let’s the humans around him know what he needs in these moments. On our long weekend runs that go beyond our normal 3 mile route, he begins to lag behind a little these days instead of pulling me full speed ahead, unless of course a squirrel or deer appears along our path, then I need to hold on tight because he suddenly has the energy of his 1 year old puppy self.  Sometimes when he is just over being on a run, he pulls me hard in the direction of a grassy spot for a sniff break or steers me in the direction of home. And at his puppy camp (doggy day care), they have started telling me in recent months that he is a grumpy old man in the morning who snaps at his pals in the play yards warning them to give him space, where as in the later morning hours and afternoon, he is his happy normal self.  We’ve come up with the plan to have him rest after eating breakfast in his own little cabin and then rejoin the pack after. His body is telling him to rest in the morning and play later. It works for him in the stage of life that he is in right now. As his caregiver, I appreciate that he listens to his body and communicates to me what he needs.

Perspective from my kids

Ok, so maybe you aren’t a dog person and a story about kids may be easier to digest. So let’s talk about what I’ve learned about listening to my body from my kids.   We have introduced solid foods to both of our girls through what is deemed “Baby Led Weaning”.  The concept of this is that rather than spoon feeding them pureed foods as their first experiences with food other than breastmilk, we instead offer safely sized and textured items to them.  They are able to use their pincer grasp to feed themselves. I won’t go into all the scientific details behind this concept, but what I will share what I’ve witnessed with them. Supposedly, kids will eat what their body needs and leave the rest when offered a variety of options on their plate. This includes eating more protein during times of growth, more fruits before the onset of a cold or during a cold. An easy logical one to comprehend is Cold and soft things while teething, or carbs when they need energy.  I’ve witnessed all of these things happen. Sometimes a favorite the day before like chicken is left completely untouched one day later after they gobbled it down the day before, while an orange becomes a high demand item and then boom, they have a runny nose the next day. Their body is craving the nutrients in fruit that will help ease their symptoms and heal them through food.

Now how about treats you might be wondering? Let’s take a cookie for example!   How many times do you eat the whole cookie just because that is the “serving size” in front of you?  My kids will eat their fill and leave the rest behind.  It always amazes me when they this, because it is not something I generally do.  At what point in our lives do we stop listening to our instincts about food? God has prescribed in our hearts and minds what our own individual body needs.  

Proverbs 3 – vs 7-8

⁷ Do not be wise in your own eyes;
    fear the Lord and shun evil.
⁸ This will bring health to your body
    and nourishment to your bones

When was the last time you asked your body what it needs?

Why is it that we push ourselves to eat foods that don’t serve our body maybe causing weight gain or indigestion, or we ignore or resent the aches and pains we feel because society tells us to keep moving, that aging is “bad”? We try to outsmart our bodies by pushing them into a form that culture has defined as perfect through fad diets, or the latest workout trend, or maybe plastic surgery to remove the lines of aging.  

I can tell you from my own personal experience that when I started looking internally for answers, my overall health improved tenfold. I’m like my dog, I suppose, I am on my best behavior when I have regular exercise and proper nutrition.  Talking to God and listening to him has become more natural for me as my health has improved and as a result my mind has become clearer. He has always been guiding me to be the best version of myself, I just was trying so hard to be like everyone else that I wasn’t listening to my own body, or to him, for years. To honor this vessel he gave me to be in this world. So, I encourage you the next time you have an ache or pain, or maybe want to try the latest fitness craze because their marketing campaign tells you that you need it in your life, instead, ask your body what it truly needs.  Because when you communicate with your body, you are talking directly to your Creator. And that’s pretty neat that we can honor God in such a simple way.