Separation

In continuing my thought process about the changes I've been going through, I wanted to discuss the separation between body and spirit.

In testimony meeting on Sunday, one of the more colorful personalities (in a good way) bore her testimony. Some of what she said really struck me - she talked about turning 60 and how her body is wearing out, getting plumper, etc, but her spirit is millions of years old and is still strong.

This led me to the thought process of this: Our bodies are really just "houses," albeit special ones (thus the word "temples"), for our spirits. But they are not our spirits. The increased weight on my body doesn't necessarily reflect an "increased weight" on my spirit. Yes, we have a responsibility to take care of our bodies and I'm trying to do that. But my body is temporary (for now) while my spirit is not.

Growing up, I gained a lot of self-confidence in my appearance. Obviously that is not particularly healthy and has now added to difficulty in self-acceptance when my body is not what it used to be.

What I (and hopefully you, now) need to realize is that there is a separation between body and spirit. The old adage "Don't judge a book by the cover" is true. My body may, or may not, be a reflection of my spirit. Certainly in some cases I would say that it can be, but we don't always know and therefore should really try to see past the outer shell.

With that said, that doesn't mean I should let my body go and not worry about it at all because it's the spirit that counts. That is not true. I have a responsibility to care for what God has given me, which includes my body. But there are some things beyond my control and I have to accept that and do the best with what I've got.

Again, I think the key here is mentally recognizing and accepting the separation between body and spirit. My body is not who I am - my spirit is. I should be most concerned about the "health and appearance" of my spirit. My body, while important, is second to that.

With that said, I think I have a beautiful spirit. Not to toot my own horn, but I think I am a nice person and I love being obedient. I try my best to do my best and that makes my spirit pretty. :)

:)