I remember a very specific road trip I made during my college years away from home. My girl friends and I thought it would be a great idea to drive to the next state, where it was legal and get tattoos. We were wild and free and determined to do whatever we wanted. We hit some bumps in the road along the way, including a blown out tire.. but rain or shine I wasn't coming back home without my new awesome, cool, tattoo. Ha! 10 years later I don't think it's so awesome. It probably wasn't the best decision I made for my body.. but there is sits.. this nice little smudged reminder of my stupidity. :) When I think about the o stupid things I've done to my body over the years.. things like my tattoo come to mind.. or the wrinkles that are popping up after years of laying in the sun and in tanning beds. We all have those things.. the things that outwardly show that we haven't cared for our bodies as well as we probably should have. Granted we live and learn and there really isn't much we can do about the past, besides move forward and hope we've wised up a bit.

I think it's so easy to measure everything from the outside when it comes to how our bodies are holding up. It's all so exterior. My question to you today is.. What is going on on the inside? If we were to take an accurate account of our inward health, what would the answer be? Nowadays... I'm a good girl and always put on my sunscreen to take care of my skin, I exercise so that number on the scale stays in a healthy range. I'm conscious of these things but I'm not so conscious about the junk I put in my body. If I was being honest, I'd have to say I need to do a better job. I should cut back more on the processed foods and eat more fresh fruits and vegetables. I should drink more water and get more sleep. When I think about my body it's easy to think it's all mine and my business but that's not necessarily true. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 says, "Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body." Our bodies are pretty remarkable and made for so much more than we give them credit for. The bible tells us that our body is a temple, for the Holy Spirit within us. Our bodies were made by the Creator for a very specific purpose and we should glorify God by taking care of our bodies.

 I think Psalm 139 says it so beautifully when David says, "For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made." We have this amazing blessing.. the blessing of life and hopefully good health.We are alive and have these bodies that allow us to fully enjoy life. Shouldn't we take better care of them? Sometimes a change of perspective can go along way. This week lets choose to view our bodies as a gift of God, a sacred temple that we can glorify God with. Lets not only take care of our outsides, but nourish our insides. Lets eat healthier, drink more water and sleep more. I truly believe that when we take care of our insides, it shows on the outside. Lets glorify God this week by taking care of the beautiful gift that he has given us.