Bodies Are So Much Work!

Have you ever thought about how much time we must spend every day on our bodies to keep them going? It's mind blowing, really. First, you have to drag it out of bed and get coffee into it. Then you have to wash and clothe it. You have to feed it breakfast. You have to make lunch for it so you can feed it again when breakfast runs out. Then you have to put it in a car and drive it somewhere to make enough money to pay for all those things it will continue to need for the duration of your earthly life. It needs a bed to sleep in, a doctor when it's sick, and exercise to keep it healthy. So how much time does that leave for God in my life every day?

When I sit down and look at the amount of time I spend just on bodily maintenance, it doesn't seem right that God should just get the leftovers. That's why I search for Him in the small stuff. In the details of daily life, I find Him. Sometimes it's in the sink filled with dirty dishes. Sometimes it's in a dream while I'm sleeping. Sometimes it's scrubbing bathtubs or kissing my husband or disciplining my child (who also has a body that needs taking care of!). I am so thankful that He is everywhere, so that I can find Him anywhere I look. But it hasn't always been that way.

 When Jesus died on the cross, the veil of the tabernacle was torn in two, from top to bottom. (Matthew 27:51) That veil had separated God's people from His presence for hundreds and hundreds of years. It separated a sinful people from a holy God. Only the High Priest was allowed into God's presence once a year to atone for that sin. When we hear the word 'veil', we tend to think of something sheer and flowing. Not the case with the tabernacle veil. It was some 60 feet in height, 30 feet in width and four inches thick. It was more like an impenetrable wall. Their own sin kept His people from reaching the other side.

Can you imagine living life back in Jesus' day without being able to commune with God? Life was hard on a body back then. No running water, no soft beds, no medicine. Life must have felt endless and exhausting. I remember what life was like before knowing the joy of His presence. But think about it. When Jesus died and that veil was torn, our way into His presence was made for us. He accepted the punishment for the sin that had stood between us and God so that we would never have to live a moment without having Him all around us- and even in us! 1 Corinthians 161:9-20 asks us, "Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; ²⁰ you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies."

This body I have that requires so much work and time is the dwelling place of the precious Holy Spirit, the Counselor, the Comforter, my very best Friend and Protector. Yes, it takes a lot of work to keep this old thing going, but if I can remember why I'm doing it - to honor Him - it will be easier to find Him in all the mundane maintenance that's required. Knowing that He is inside of me, fueling me and inspiring me to persevere, is all I sometimes need to keep on keeping on. I am thankful today that even the  boring and repetitive tasks of caring for this body can be transformed into a tender act of worship simply by looking to the cross.

Father, thank You for Jesus, my only Way into Your Holy presence. Thank You for tearing that veil in two, not just in part, but from top to bottom. Thank You that You never do anything halfway. Because it cost Him everything He had to give it to me, let me bask in Your presence today. Let me roll around in it and swim in it and get it all over me. Let me remember You every moment of this day, and let me honor You by searching for You everywhere I go.

In His holy love,

Amy

copyright 2010, Amy Wallace