BALANCE=BODY "AND" SPIRIT

                 Integrating Mind Body Spirit-Practicing Holistic Christian Living
                                       BALANCE =BODY   "AND"   SPIRIT

“Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” (Ephesians 6:11)
 
"You should know that your body is a temple for the Holy Spirit who is in you. You have received the Holy Spirit from God. So you do not belong to yourselves, 20 because you were bought by God for a price. So honor God with your bodies"(1 Corinthians 6:19-20)
 
"Happiness is not being pained in body or troubled in mind.' Thomas Jefferson

Does taking care of our physical body help us in our spiritual life and purpose? Since  I'm beginning to care of my health more, I felt inspired to study how body and spirit work together for God's purpose.   This has been difficult to balance for me.  Has it been for you?  There have been times in my life I've placed GREAT importance on body (running everyday, weighing every day, "trying every diet"). Also, I have greatly neglected my body but continued to read and pray and put importance in going to church. When I concentrated so much time on my body - there was no room to focus on God's purpose for me. When I didn't focus on taking care of my health and became very overweight, then I had no energy or peace of mind  to "focus" and "do" God's will in my life. Neither one alone gave me  peace, purpose or close relationship with God

I'm learning through personal experience and study, if we nourish our body  to glorify and reflect God, then we are actually feeding the soul and spirit and will become spiritually stronger by the power of God’s grace working within us. Can we do this all the time perfectly? No! We are human. But as Christian, it is something to strive for.  Nourishing our body and spirit can only help us to more effective in our walk with Christ.

FATHER GOD - THANK YOU MAKING US COMPLEX BEINGS AND A REFLECTION OF YOU. HELP US TO LEARN HOW TO NOURISH OUR SPIRITUAL LIVES AS WELL AS OUR PHYSICAL BODIES TO MORE EFFECTIVELY SERVE YOU AND BE OF SERVICE TO OTHERS AROUND US. REMIND US THAT THIS STARTS WITH BABY STEPS AND YOUR HELP.  REMIND US THAT YOU ARE LOOKING FOR A WORK IN "PROGRESS" AND NOT "PERFECTION" IN US. THANK YOU FOR YOUR MANY BLESSINGS. AMEN