But God gives it a body as he has chosen, and to each kind of seed its own body. For not all flesh is the same, but there is one kind for humans, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish.There are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is of one kind, and the glory of the earthly is of another. I Corinthians 15:38-40
Do you like your body? Few women do. There is always something we want to change. We apply make-up to make our lips bigger, lashes longer, cheeks more accented. We study which styles of clothes will de-emphasize the part we want to hide. Some undergo surgery to enlarge or reduce, suck out or add on.
I have never been fond of my body and now it seems it and I are having a battle. Born short and stocky, I just cannot lose the weight even though I am on a strict plan. I go and weigh three times a week and watch everyone else lose 3-4 pounds. And I stay stuck, or lose maybe 1/2 a pound no matter what program they try me on. I cry out to God, “Why does it have to be so hard for me? Why did you make my body this way?”
The truth is, I made it this way. I spent too many years eating the wrong stuff and not exercising. Yes, genetics played a part. But I must admit I am reaping what I sowed. I have been overweight most of my life, even in childhood.
I need this discipline to mold me ( literally). I also need to be thankful for the body I have -that I have two hands, two feet, two eyes and two ears. That my heart is still strong and so is my mind. That is why the passage hit me hard today. It is God’s answer to my cries. “Take what I made, thank me for it and use it properly.” God gives it a body He has chosen…for not all flesh is the same.
Perhaps I need to hear again part of the prayer of St Francis that says to change the things I can and aceept the things I cannot. I can change my eating and lifestyle habits and my weight but it will take patience and discipline – the two attributes that I often lack. I cannot change that I am short, or prone to be curvy and stocky. I will never be stylishly tall and thin.
But I also need to realize this body is from God and in His eyes, there is beauty. When it is Him shining through this shell of a seed, that is what the world will see. It is His temple now, He dwells inside. Yes, we are to care for this earthly temple, but the architecture is what it is. It is how it is used that is more important. That is the glory.
… but the glory of the heavenly is of one kind, and the glory of the earthly is of another.
