Sunday, August 1, 2010

Great Facebook Stati...

A Facebook friend of mine posts the most thought-provoking stati.  Tonight's?

"What is your spiritual act of worship?"

Psht.  Easy!  (Yeeeeeaah, I had no idea what it meant at first.  Had to look it up.  I really do read that book called "The Bible", but man do I seem to miss a lot.)

Romans 12:1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.

THIS body?  Tremors and spasms and black floaters and stiffness and relaxed bladder?  How about the faithful monthly migraines?  That's right, I just redefined "hot mess".  This body sure ain't what it used to be about 15-20yrs ago.  Back then, it could do so much more.  2-a-day sports practices?  You betcha!  Fit into stonewash jeans closer to my shoe size than my age?  Yep.  Even if I had to lay flat on the bed to button 'em.  I now refer to that phase as "denial".  I could barely breathe and was thankful that whatever GAP and Guess used to sew those buttons in was NASA grade.  But currently?  There are days that this body is, as we used to say back in high school, "toe up from the flo up".

But I read further into the "spiritual sacrifice" application and what that's all supposed to mean has nothing to do with physical bodies and their aptitude to turn a double play or squeeze into a pair of ill-fitting pants.  It means living life in such a way that brings glory to God.  Including my daily choices, the way I complete my work, the way I reach out to others, and my overall attitude.  Those common, everyday thoughts and actions are either worship of God or worship of self.

Ooooooooh...   

Well I'll be honest.  The actions are usually a whole lot more in check than the thoughts.  Though I can't say actions were totally in check last week, either.  I blew it on both accounts.    

I got to thinking how blessed I am that God saw something in me that could be spit shined and used for His glory.  The old way was very empty, even the parts I thought were joyful at the time.  I had developed attitude and ego.  I did it on my own, straight up, sans rocks.  As if to say, "nobody puts me in the corner, and I ain't your Baby"...

But I'm most thankful that each day is new.  Even when I fall flat on my face, sometimes literally, He raises me up to give me a new chance to bring Him glory.  I could absolutely not get through this without Him. 

I'll stand for Him.  And if standing isn't my strong suit at any given time, I know it's not a literal thing, kinda how my physical body...the one that gravity and lesions have been unkind to over the years...is not what's required.  That really takes the pressure off.

Followers