The TRUTH about our bodies

When I think of all the talented, unique, special women out there who feel like they are worthless because of the way they feel about their bodies it makes me so sad. If only every women could see their bodies from the view of the lord instead of the world!

"Because he was denied a mortal body,  satan understands all too well how precious bodies are. He seeks to confuse and tempt us to misuse the body or even to reject it so that we might be miserable as he is"

The TRUE purpose of our bodies...

"The magnificence of man is matchless. But, glorious as this physical tabernacle is, the body is designed to support something even more glorious- The eternal spirit which dwells in each of our mortal frames. (We are our spirits, not our bodies!) The great accomplishments of this life are rarely physical. Those attributes with which we shall be judged one day are spiritual. With the blessing of our bodies to assist us we may develop spiritual qualities of honesty, integrity, compassion and love. Only with the development of the spirit may we aquire faith, virtue, knowledge, temperence, patience, brotherly kindness, godliness, charity, humility, and diligence." Russell M. Nelson

...Our bodies make it possible for our spirits to progress and become the best we can be! THAT is our bodies divine purpose.

HEALING comes from viewing yours and others bodies in the lords way, not the worlds way...

"As Satan would conspire to have you be discontent with and disrespectful of your own and others bodies, God will inspire a different view through the atonement. Jesus Christ can heal your mind and heart concerning your body, if you so choose. As you treat your own and others bodies in a manner consistent with the scriptures, your vision of the body will be transformed. You will recognize the illusions of the world and you will experience a release from worldly views and practices. 3 Truths we learn from the scriptures will help make you whole:

Truth #1 The body is a temple.

Truth #2 The body is a sacred Gift.

Truth #3 The body is godlike and helps us progress."

If we could all consistently remember these truths and view our bodies from god's perspective I think our negative body obsession would disappear!

"A wise and loving god counsels us to be grateful for our body & to become a wise steward over it...

To become a grateful & wise steward of the body often requires giving up something worldly for something heavenly. For some, such an offering may include giving up a quest to become model thin, while for others, it may include giving up excessive grooming habits and wearing of costly apparel. For still others, it may include giving up the short term pleasures of overeating, the viewing of others bodies as objects for self gratification. With such forsaking of worldly practices comes tremendous spiritual gains. Realizing and following the truth about the body brings freedom- freedom from tyranny of vanity, fashion, envy, superficiality, self-criticism, backbiting, the ill effects of overeating or undereating. Lust, pornography, substance addiction and a host of other forms of worldly weight and oppression. Developing an understanding of the true purpose of the body enhances our ablitliy to use our agency, to progress, and to find joy."

Give up something worldly for something heavenly :) I love that. 

I know it helps me A LOT, more than anything, to remember the true purpose of my body and that Satan is the one who would want me to hate it. Our bodies are SO SO amazing, if you think about it too much it just blows your mind. I don't think I have even mentioned on my blog yet that I am pregnant :) yep, almost 5 months in fact. And on Thursday we get to find out what we're having. But I have been awe struck at feeling a human being move and grow inside me. The fact that our bodies can do that is just astounding. Think about it, in a single hour we take approximately 900 breaths and our heart beats 4,000 times. In a lifetime that is A LOT of breaths and heartbeats. Even with all the new technology there is nothing even remotely close to as magnificent as the body. Unless affected by disease the heart runs without batteries or outlets and never takes a brake. There is nothing man made that comes close to having that much power. I wonder how you could learn of the magnificence of the body and not believe in God. If I could only ALWAYS remember that my body is a sacred gift made by God himself than how could I possibly feel horrible towards my body. I would have more respect towards it for sure. So that is my goal, because sometimes I forget. Its easy to forget. But I hope we all remember, because we each were given a sacred gift all our own and it is our responsibility to take care of it.  

All these quotes come from an awesome article in the July 2005 Ensign entitled "The body, a Sacred Gift" Written by a psychologist named Diane L. Spangler