My hands get terribly dry so I am constantly using lotion or creams to keep them from drying out completely. I’m also constantly on my computer. As you can imagine, this gets to be quite the chore to keep my hands moisturized and keep my touch pad free of that moisture and oil. But if I am to keep it in good working order this is what I must do.
Today as I read through one of my devotionals I thought about how God is our manufacturer. He creates us in His own image and He makes us perfect for the job he has created for us to do while here on earth. However, some of us seem to have a difficult time maintaining ourselves as we ought. Psalm 139 speaks of how God knew us ever before we were created in our mothers’ wombs.
As I read the Psalm, I thought about the children who are born with challenges. Some of them may be God’s design, and, whether or not we want to face it, some are the result of improper maintenance. Just as I cannot expect my touchpad to work properly if put my greasy fingers all over it, we cannot expect things to go well, if we aren’t taking proper care of our bodies. For pregnant women, that means eating healthy foods and doing all the things you should do for yourself and the sake of your unborn child.
Parents need to be wise about what their children consume. Not just food-wise but also mentally, emotionally and spiritually. We have been entrusted with the divine privilege of caring for these beings until they reach the point of being able to maintain themselves. Therefore we must do our best to care for them properly: make sure they get the exercise they need, both physically and mentally, the rest they need, provide structure and discipline along with nurturing and fun, educate them, provide healthy and nutritious food.
We also need to teach our children some basic core values like honesty, a healthy and productive work ethic, responsibility and accountability. That’s just the short list. Reading through the book of Proverbs is one of the best ways to figure out what children really need to be taught in order to be successful in all aspects of life. We need to teach them how to optimally maintain themselves.
It’s paramount that we also maintain ourselves. It's not just about being good role models for our children and others, it’s also what we are called to do as followers of Christ. Our bodies are temples. Sometimes things happen to these temples that are beyond our control. Most often, we neglect to see or we fail to acknowledge that our bodies are anything more than just our bodies. So we indulge and mistreat them in any number of ways.
One day I was meditating on this concept of my body being a place where the Holy Spirit resides. Christ in me. It was a heavy and convicting thought. My neglect of things centers around my consideration of myself, i.e. it’s all about me. But when I think of this being a place for the Holy Spirit, then I see it differently. Doesn’t the God of the Universe deserve the best? Doesn’t the God of gods deserve a most beautiful, sturdy, functional temple? My creator designed me a certain way to do certain things. Isn't in incumbent upon me to maintain His creation and use it in the way He intended? Isn't that especially true if He in fact has taken up residency there?
When Solomon built the temple in Jerusalem it was not just thrown together. It was built with reverence. The finest materials were used in its construction and it was a beautiful place to behold and the most holy place on earth. Now because of Jesus’ work on the cross, we are blessed to have the Holy Spirit living in us. He lives in me. I don’t know about you, but this particular temple could do with an extreme make over!
As I enter my golden years I realize that I have not maintained His temple as I should have. The good news is it’s never too late to begin. Now I am working on renovating the temple. I have a long way to go and some parts may never be as good as they could have been if I would have kept up the maintenance all along, still, when I finally give up the ghost, I can be encouraged that at least I did my best to set my house - His house - in order.