My sweet girlfriends pooled together and gave me a certificate for a massage for my birthday. Last Friday I cashed it in and boy, was that needed.
Before we began, my masseuse asked on what areas, if any, I’d like her to concentrate. I named a few, mainly on my left side.
As she worked on my left shoulder part the way in, she chuckled and told me, “You definitely know your body. This shoulder is carrying a lot of tension.”
Tell me about it. She was working my muscles with almost too much force for me to stand. No pain, no gain, right?
She eased off to let me and my sore muscles breathe and I began to think about why my left side seems to carry so much tension.
One reason is extremely obvious to me. My growing toddler is about 35 pounds now and because my dominant hand is my right hand, I tend to carry him on my left side, leaving my right hand open to do things. This also holds true for any bags or items I carry: always my left hand, arm, or shoulder.
Hence the tension.
Are you living in tension? Are you acquainted with your body and its needs, or are you consumed to the point that you are unaware?
As easy as it is to do, we are not supposed to neglect our bodies. They are created by God, and as Christians, they are a temple in which the Holy Spirit dwells.
Here’s what the Bible has to say:
- Psalm 139:13-16: “For You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from You when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be.”
- 1 Corinthians 3:16-17: “Don’t you know that you yourself are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for God’s temple is sacred, and you together are that temple.”
- 1 Corinthians 6:19-20: “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; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.”
- Ephesians 5:29-30: “After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church–for we are members of His body.” (Context IS important, as this passage talks about men loving their wives as Christ loves the church. I also believe it applies here because Christ is our example on Christian living, and He cares for His body (the Church) and we must also care for the body (the Church) and ourselves as members of the body (the Church).)
I spent about 7 years of my life living with a body that did not operate well. My journey with mono was a horrible struggle that I don’t wish on anyone. In that time, I lost touch with a lot of myself, my emotions, my physical well-being, even my walk with God suffered. It’s taken at least 5 years after that to get back in touch with myself, and even today I’m finding that there’s still a lot of work to be done.
I was able to tell my masseuse what hurt because I have gotten back in touch with the rhythm of how I function physically. I know what foods hurt my stomach and try to avoid them. I’ve started walking again in the evenings because it’s cooled down (yay fall!) and I know I need the exercise. And after weeks of lifting my son, I know what hurts.
Mentally and emotionally…I’m still working to get back in touch fully after living in survival mode for so long.
The good news is, we can have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16). Just as a masseuse can work tension out of muscles, prayer is the tool that can work the tension out of the mind.
- Philippians 4:6-7: “Do not be anxious about anything but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
We can talk to God about all our anxieties, all our worries, and all our concerns–all those things that cause our minds to tense up and stop functioning clearly. Our Father delights in us and can handle anything you bring to Him.
If your mind and your body are not functioning correctly, you will be ineffective ministers for the kingdom. This does not mean we will operate at peak efficiency every day of our lives. Jesus Himself assured us that “In this world, you will have trouble.” But He also said, “But take heart! I have overcome the world!” (John 16:33).
Just as you take a sick body to a doctor, or a body in pain to a masseuse or a chiropractor, you can take your tense mind to the Great Physician and He will help you begin to unravel that which is causing your tension.
God desires that we live life well. Let’s take some time to start paying attention to our bodies and minds to make sure we are stewarding the gifts God gives us well!
Blessings,
~Lynne
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