the problem is, you have no idea who you are.
That was one of the messages that I got from a retreat on Practical Christianity this weekend. I spent the weekend listening to that still small voice from within. It was telling me that as much as I want to love God, I need to also learn to love myself as God loves me. God loves the authentic me, and in my ego-centeredness I may or may not be close at all to knowing who that person is.
I know who I think I should be, but does that mean that my opinion of who I am and where I am going is the same as God's? Probably far from it. It is only through lots of intentional prayer, and discernment that I will ever come to know who it is that God sees when God looks at me.
Fr. Adrian, (our retreat master) said we should look at it as though we are athletes training for competition. We can't become elite level Christians without intentionally setting aside time to make ourselves fit enough to be the person God sees us to be. We have to work on our whole self; mind, body and spirit.
I am good at working on the spirit and mind part of my elite level training program. I love to learn new things, I am constantly reading spiritual books and the bible and spending time in prayer and meditation. I spend time offering my services to others in volunteer activities and share my joy of salvation with others every chance I get.
Where I fall down is taking care of my body. I need to get more exercise, and learn to eat better to control my blood pressure and blood sugar. Exercise would help my arthritis. Eating right coupled with the exercise would lead to weight loss which would in turn be good for my knees.
So, I am going to try really hard to work on myself. I am going to spend some time every day being intentional about taking care of my body which is a temple of the Holy Spirit; the place where God resides. Because from now on it is not I but Christ who lives in and through me, and He shouldn't have to live in a place that looks like it ought to be condemned.
PAX
I am good at working on the spirit and mind part of my elite level training program. I love to learn new things, I am constantly reading spiritual books and the bible and spending time in prayer and meditation. I spend time offering my services to others in volunteer activities and share my joy of salvation with others every chance I get.
Where I fall down is taking care of my body. I need to get more exercise, and learn to eat better to control my blood pressure and blood sugar. Exercise would help my arthritis. Eating right coupled with the exercise would lead to weight loss which would in turn be good for my knees.
So, I am going to try really hard to work on myself. I am going to spend some time every day being intentional about taking care of my body which is a temple of the Holy Spirit; the place where God resides. Because from now on it is not I but Christ who lives in and through me, and He shouldn't have to live in a place that looks like it ought to be condemned.
PAX
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