{Unconventional} Secret #8: Honor Your Temple
It sounds so simple. Honor your temple. (1 Cor 6:19) But what does it really mean and why?
I've been attempting to write this one actually for awhile because my fear is that I will come across as vain, idolatrous and/or judgmental.
Take care of yourself. Really, do it. I recently finished a bible study by Jennifer Rothschild and she talks about taking care of your temple. She lists it as 3 easy steps:
Eat. If you've been following me for awhile you know that I eat Paleo. That is NOT what I'm saying you have to do. What I am saying is don't fill your precious temple with garbage. By garbage I mean excessive amounts of over processed foods, lots of corn products, hi amounts of white grains and sugar. When consumed regularly, all of that junk makes you tired and sluggish. When you feel icky, you don't have the energy to a.) focus your heart and thoughts on serving God and b.) do the next step...
Move. Nobody is saying you have to run a marathon. Actually, don't run a marathon. That in no way sounds fun. You don't have to get up at 6am at go to spin class and you don't have to go join a gym. Just go for a walk when you can, fit in some outside play with your kids, ride a bike to carpool lane, etc. Exercise raises your energy levels and is also a stress reliever. I get up at 5am and go get my workout in because I truly feel like I can tackle the day if I have already done that. My mind is sharper and my patience is greater. I can more readily worship and serve Jesus when I have this task out of the way. This is what works for me, I'm not saying it has to work for you. But find something that does work for you.
Rest. So do what I say and not what I do here. Okay? :) Women in general are TERRIBLE at this, me included. I always feel like I need to be doing something. I almost never sit down until 9pm at night and this is not what I recommend. All throughout the Bible we are commanded to take rest and to rest in the Lord. He gives it to us. He tell us to do so.
Be Pretty. Okay this is where I may hurt some feelings. Ladies, get out of the sweatpants/ maternity pants, put on a little mascara, blow dry your hair and take a little pride in your appearance. Your husband picked you. He picked you out of a crowd. Honor him by being his prize, his precious jewel that he is proud to come home to. As a busy mom of 3, ya'll know I have don't have excess time to primp and fuss. I only have time to wash my hair once about every 5 days or so. !GASP! But when I do, I take the time to straighten it so that it looks decent for a few days. And on that, there is a fine line between yoga pants and sweat pants. If you are still carrying around a few extra baby pounds, get yourself some cute yoga pants or some knit waist skirts to transition into. Remember in Friends when Chandler broke up with Janice and he wore the pj pants for forever? His lack of care in his appearance did something to him mentally. It kept him down. He didn't even have the confidence or energy to leave his apartment until he was able to change out of those dreadful pants.
So why are these things all important? Your temple was bought for you. It was bought at a price, the life of God's only son. Your body is not your own, it belongs to God and to your spouse. Ladies, be someone who your husband wants to come home to and who shows appreciation for the gift of eternity you don't deserve.
Okay... I definitely have to chime in here. There are several reasons. I am a person that is constantly working to find balance. I don't rest well. My weight has always been a yo yo struggle. I am in no ways an expert or model. But I DO have some opinions.
Ladies reading this... relay the following to your husband please.
Fellas, would you want some fat, sweaty, nasty dude rolling over to get sex from you? NOPE. Do you think your wife wants some fat out of shape dude trying to heat her up. Probably not. Look I'm not saying this to be vain. I'm just saying drop the cheeseburger, lift some weight, and be a titan of love for your woman. 50 shades of Gray and Magic Mike are not the hits they are for no reason. Tune into your woman. Be her man.
Your diet effects you. Your model effects your children. We'll talk more about legacy later. But we all pass on a legacy to our kids as it relates to faith, ethics, money, and food. The legacy passed to me was prescription drug abuse, obesity, heart disease, cancer, and binge eating. I will pass that to my kids if I don't make a conscious decision to change. Did you know that a lack of plants in your diet suppresses serotonin in the brain and produces depression? Did you know that exercise is the #1 treatment for anxiety. Good diet and exercise actually boosts testosterone in men. Bros, we want more T!
When I roll out of my house looking sharp, the most important thing for me is that my wife is happy. I want my wife to be proud to be with me.
I can't give advice on rest. I suck at that and could use some help from anyone that has advice. Hey... I'm just being honest.
I've been attempting to write this one actually for awhile because my fear is that I will come across as vain, idolatrous and/or judgmental.
Take care of yourself. Really, do it. I recently finished a bible study by Jennifer Rothschild and she talks about taking care of your temple. She lists it as 3 easy steps:
- Eat
- Move
- Rest
- ****get pretty ( I added this one on my own, I'll explain below)
Eat. If you've been following me for awhile you know that I eat Paleo. That is NOT what I'm saying you have to do. What I am saying is don't fill your precious temple with garbage. By garbage I mean excessive amounts of over processed foods, lots of corn products, hi amounts of white grains and sugar. When consumed regularly, all of that junk makes you tired and sluggish. When you feel icky, you don't have the energy to a.) focus your heart and thoughts on serving God and b.) do the next step...
Move. Nobody is saying you have to run a marathon. Actually, don't run a marathon. That in no way sounds fun. You don't have to get up at 6am at go to spin class and you don't have to go join a gym. Just go for a walk when you can, fit in some outside play with your kids, ride a bike to carpool lane, etc. Exercise raises your energy levels and is also a stress reliever. I get up at 5am and go get my workout in because I truly feel like I can tackle the day if I have already done that. My mind is sharper and my patience is greater. I can more readily worship and serve Jesus when I have this task out of the way. This is what works for me, I'm not saying it has to work for you. But find something that does work for you.
Rest. So do what I say and not what I do here. Okay? :) Women in general are TERRIBLE at this, me included. I always feel like I need to be doing something. I almost never sit down until 9pm at night and this is not what I recommend. All throughout the Bible we are commanded to take rest and to rest in the Lord. He gives it to us. He tell us to do so.
Be Pretty. Okay this is where I may hurt some feelings. Ladies, get out of the sweatpants/ maternity pants, put on a little mascara, blow dry your hair and take a little pride in your appearance. Your husband picked you. He picked you out of a crowd. Honor him by being his prize, his precious jewel that he is proud to come home to. As a busy mom of 3, ya'll know I have don't have excess time to primp and fuss. I only have time to wash my hair once about every 5 days or so. !GASP! But when I do, I take the time to straighten it so that it looks decent for a few days. And on that, there is a fine line between yoga pants and sweat pants. If you are still carrying around a few extra baby pounds, get yourself some cute yoga pants or some knit waist skirts to transition into. Remember in Friends when Chandler broke up with Janice and he wore the pj pants for forever? His lack of care in his appearance did something to him mentally. It kept him down. He didn't even have the confidence or energy to leave his apartment until he was able to change out of those dreadful pants.
So why are these things all important? Your temple was bought for you. It was bought at a price, the life of God's only son. Your body is not your own, it belongs to God and to your spouse. Ladies, be someone who your husband wants to come home to and who shows appreciation for the gift of eternity you don't deserve.
Okay... I definitely have to chime in here. There are several reasons. I am a person that is constantly working to find balance. I don't rest well. My weight has always been a yo yo struggle. I am in no ways an expert or model. But I DO have some opinions.
Ladies reading this... relay the following to your husband please.
Fellas, would you want some fat, sweaty, nasty dude rolling over to get sex from you? NOPE. Do you think your wife wants some fat out of shape dude trying to heat her up. Probably not. Look I'm not saying this to be vain. I'm just saying drop the cheeseburger, lift some weight, and be a titan of love for your woman. 50 shades of Gray and Magic Mike are not the hits they are for no reason. Tune into your woman. Be her man.
Your diet effects you. Your model effects your children. We'll talk more about legacy later. But we all pass on a legacy to our kids as it relates to faith, ethics, money, and food. The legacy passed to me was prescription drug abuse, obesity, heart disease, cancer, and binge eating. I will pass that to my kids if I don't make a conscious decision to change. Did you know that a lack of plants in your diet suppresses serotonin in the brain and produces depression? Did you know that exercise is the #1 treatment for anxiety. Good diet and exercise actually boosts testosterone in men. Bros, we want more T!
When I roll out of my house looking sharp, the most important thing for me is that my wife is happy. I want my wife to be proud to be with me.
I can't give advice on rest. I suck at that and could use some help from anyone that has advice. Hey... I'm just being honest.
