The Body
When my son, Jacob, was 12-years-old, I was telling him good night, I asked him what he wanted to pray about. He began to tell me how he wants God to help him be strong and have more muscles; he also wanted to ask God to go ahead and give him a great growth spurt “like now.” Jacob went on to criticize his body and how it’s just “not enough yet.” I told Jacob that God has created a masterpiece with his body. I told him that he was fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14) I encouraged Jacob that in due time, he would grow taller and he would have more muscles. God designed his body and the process in which it grows and it will happen.
I also told him that God was rather pleased with the beautiful work he did with Jacob, and I reminded Jacob that God has great plans for him (Jeremiah 29:11). Still Jacob said, “But my wrists are so small, you can see my rib bones, and I’m not as big as the other kids.” I continued to encourage him. He finally started to feel better when I told him that we were made in God’s likeness (James 3:9).
As I was speaking to Jacob about loving himself, being thankful for who he is right now, and trusting God to work out all the details of his growing body, I began to “hear” myself talking and realized I needed to do the same. I was reminded to love myself as I am, to trust God for the processes that He is doing in me. I was also reminded to trust Him regarding the body of knowledge I pray to attain in writing a research paper that is due as well as with the body and formation and the process of the Warrior Mom ministry. I thought of how I do the same thing that Jacob was doing with his growing body in many areas of my own life; I want God to make a growth spurt happen and “like now.”
At the end of my thoughts, I was thankful for the Body of Christ (1 Colossians 1:24), the loving community of believers who are in my life, and most of all for the actual Body of Christ that He sacrificed so that we may have eternal life. I was humbled that He loves us so much that He gave His perfect Body as atonement for sin for anybody who would accept Him.
And he took the bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” Luke 22:19
Kristina Seymour loves to encourage and equip women through the Word and through community. She is the author of The Warrior Mom Handbook, The Warrior Mom Leadership Manual, and The Warrior Wife Handbook; they are available at Amazon.com. Kristina's Bible studies are for women who desire to live by faith in the midst of their everyday lives. She has learned that women can't survive on caffeine and animal crackers alone; women in the Word and in community are united and able to stand firm. To learn more about Kristina, please visit her website, https://kristinaseymour.com/. God loves to share His story of love and grace through us all, and Kristina believes that everyone has a story to tell.