Give Me Grace : Staying in My Body, Meeting God on My Mat

flickr cc : dennis

Or didn’t you realize that your body is a sacred place, the place of the Holy Spirit? Don’t you see that you can’t live however you please, squandering what God paid such a high price for? The physical part of you is not some piece of property belonging to the spiritual part of you. God owns the whole works. So let people see God in and through your body.

 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (MSG)

It’s always way too early or way too late. Peeling my body out of bed before sunrise or making it happen just as the grown folks hour begins – I roll out my mat.
As prayer and holy meditation, I try to live out these words.

Consider your body a living sacrifice holy and acceptable toward God – that is your reasonable service – Romans 12:1

Only I struggle with discipline and stumble repeatedly over “the things” that make it difficult to meet my fitness goals.  My one word for 2014 challenges me every day. But I know how important this is and when I get there it’s a sweet time of communion and contemplation. The deepest connection and conversation with my body. With my God.

Bed rest and working through the emotions of a pregnancy I never thought would happen rocked my world. Infertility did a number on me folks. I lost the connection and confidence in my temple. All of this…is me working to get that back. Still.

Truth is it would be easier to check out. Let that part of me wander off in the wilderness with a few other dreams. But I can’t. This is the one that promises to help keep me alive. I want to live His redemption in a healthy body.  So I fight to balance what’s reasonable. Teeter and twist around the line between what I can and what I want to do. I make every moment count. I’ll take the holy hug of a few minutes on my mat when I can. It’s my dance, my devotion, my committment and call.  I have to do this.

Surrendering my body to the stillness of my mat drowns out the cackles coming from the “all or none diva” in the corner . I know every step matters. As long as I’m consistent – there’s grace for the God honoring discipline of exercise.

So when I’m desperate for a stretch, I throw the mat down. I push past the voices that mock and shame, the voice that tells me I don’t have time.

And I breathe and count the rhythm of  His word.

you are God’s temple and God’s spirit dwells in you

Feet hip width apart, shoulders down,  long neck

Chin to chest roll down 2,3,4,5,6,7,8
And hold  2,3,4,5,6,7,8
Soft knees 2,3,4,5,6,7,8
Roll up 2,3,4,5,6,7,8

again, 2,3,4…

Let your handmaiden find grace in your sight….#GiveMeGrace

♥

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Lisha Epperson