Living Well:Christian Practices for Everyday Life (c) 3009 LifelongFaith Associates
Reprinted for Congregational study from www.lifelongfaith.com
Reprinted for Congregational study from www.lifelongfaith.com
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Anne’s “Heart Attack”
Anne was surprised when her cardiologist suggested stress management to treat heart attack symptoms. At thirty-six, she was the marketing director for an aggressive high-tech firm, in line for promotion to vice-president. She drove a new sports car, travelled extensively, and had an active social life. Sure, she felt stressed occasionally, but she was in control of her life and doing quite nicely, thank you.
That was on the outside; on the inside, she felt “the wheels on my tricycle are about to fall off. I’m a mess.” For several months, she had had attacks of shortness of breath, heart palpitations, chest pains, dizziness, and tingling sensations in her fingers and toes. Filled with a sense of impending doom, she would become anxious to the point of panic. Every day she dreaded the panic attacks that could strike without reason or warning.
The symptoms were so bad that on two occasions she rushed to a nearby hospital emergency room, fearing she was having a heart attack. The first episode followed an argument with her boyfriend about the future of their relationship, and the second followed a fight at work with her boss over a new marketing campaign. Tests showed nothing wrong with her heart. She left the hospital with instructions on how to breathe into a paper bag to reduce hyperventilation, and a prescription for tranquillisers. She felt foolish, and went home feeling embarrassed, angry and confused. She remained convinced that she had almost had a heart attack.
Anne was surprised when her cardiologist suggested stress management to treat heart attack symptoms. At thirty-six, she was the marketing director for an aggressive high-tech firm, in line for promotion to vice-president. She drove a new sports car, travelled extensively, and had an active social life. Sure, she felt stressed occasionally, but she was in control of her life and doing quite nicely, thank you.
That was on the outside; on the inside, she felt “the wheels on my tricycle are about to fall off. I’m a mess.” For several months, she had had attacks of shortness of breath, heart palpitations, chest pains, dizziness, and tingling sensations in her fingers and toes. Filled with a sense of impending doom, she would become anxious to the point of panic. Every day she dreaded the panic attacks that could strike without reason or warning.
The symptoms were so bad that on two occasions she rushed to a nearby hospital emergency room, fearing she was having a heart attack. The first episode followed an argument with her boyfriend about the future of their relationship, and the second followed a fight at work with her boss over a new marketing campaign. Tests showed nothing wrong with her heart. She left the hospital with instructions on how to breathe into a paper bag to reduce hyperventilation, and a prescription for tranquillisers. She felt foolish, and went home feeling embarrassed, angry and confused. She remained convinced that she had almost had a heart attack.
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A Married Couple’s Touch
For our twenty-fifth wedding anniversary, my wife gave me a picture album with photos of the two of us from the time we started dating to the present. As I paged through the years. I was struck with the way we touched each other in all those pictures: holding hands in front of a fountain, arm in arm, sitting on my lap at a picnic table, sitting on a sofa with her head on my shoulder. I thought about how connected we are by our touching each other over these twenty- five years, and what a great gift that is in our marriage, and in my life. I recall holding her hand as she was rolled down the hallway to surgery recently, and the reassurance of our daily kisses good-bye in the morning. I think of how calming it is when she rubs the back of my shoulders after a tense day at work. Our touching each other, even when it’s done unconsciously, connects us on a level we seldom talk about. Touch seems to strengthen our life together whether we are making love or just holding hands during the sad part of a movie. It seems that something passes between us, a kind of energy that is sometimes passion, sometimes reassurance or comfort or peace. Some of the ways we touch are so much a part of our daily routine that we are not even aware of their effect on us; her taking my arm when she wears high-heeled shoes or our “sleeping like spoons” on cold winter nights. |
I grew up in a family where we hardly ever touched one another except when it was necessary. Maybe that’s why I was so struck by the effect touch has had on our life together.
We received a lot of gifts on our twenty-fifth anniversary, but that album is my favourite! (Mary Jo Pederson, Thomas Greisen, and Ronald Wasikowski, More Than Meets the Eye) |
Mum’s Last Bath
Thelma is living her last days. Her family surrounds her. Kay writes to me of her mother’s last bath.
She insists on being clean,
and today Amy and I invited her to a bath if she was up to it
in the late afternoon.
The appointed time came.
Mom worked and worked and finally sat up
on the side of her bed,
legs down
feet toward the floor.
Then the vomiting began,
Violent vomiting taking her last bit of strength.
She told me to draw her bath
showing me with her hands how deep.
I turned the bathroom heater on.
I cleaned the hair out of the drain trap.
I ran all hot water at first to warm the tub then moderated it, checking with my wrist.
She shuffled to the bathroom,
sat down on a towel I had placed on the edge of
the tub.
We undressed her.
She stood up, grabbed the grip bar that dad had
installed for her.
I stood behind her, straddling the tub,
ready to catch her
in case she fell.
She told me I needed to trust her to know what
she could do.
And then
that precious body that I have looked at and
loved and
memorized
lowered into the water.
She never opened her eyes lay there
still
silent
then put her hand out and I placed a plastic cup in it
as we had discussed I would.
She slowly lifted a cup of water
and poured it over her arms.
Lying back down
she poured another cup over her throat and neck sighing a tiny sound of pleasure.
The water sounded like baptism
holy, quiet, small splashes.
The bath ended with Kay pouring cup after cup of water onto her mother’s head, gently moving her fingers through the tiny bit of hair still growing there. Thelma kept both ears shut against the water with the pointer finger of each hand. Her quiet sighs of pleasure were matched by the sobs rising up from inside my friend as her tears fell into the water of her mother’s last bath.
(Stephanie Paulsell, Practicing Our Faith)
Thelma is living her last days. Her family surrounds her. Kay writes to me of her mother’s last bath.
She insists on being clean,
and today Amy and I invited her to a bath if she was up to it
in the late afternoon.
The appointed time came.
Mom worked and worked and finally sat up
on the side of her bed,
legs down
feet toward the floor.
Then the vomiting began,
Violent vomiting taking her last bit of strength.
She told me to draw her bath
showing me with her hands how deep.
I turned the bathroom heater on.
I cleaned the hair out of the drain trap.
I ran all hot water at first to warm the tub then moderated it, checking with my wrist.
She shuffled to the bathroom,
sat down on a towel I had placed on the edge of
the tub.
We undressed her.
She stood up, grabbed the grip bar that dad had
installed for her.
I stood behind her, straddling the tub,
ready to catch her
in case she fell.
She told me I needed to trust her to know what
she could do.
And then
that precious body that I have looked at and
loved and
memorized
lowered into the water.
She never opened her eyes lay there
still
silent
then put her hand out and I placed a plastic cup in it
as we had discussed I would.
She slowly lifted a cup of water
and poured it over her arms.
Lying back down
she poured another cup over her throat and neck sighing a tiny sound of pleasure.
The water sounded like baptism
holy, quiet, small splashes.
The bath ended with Kay pouring cup after cup of water onto her mother’s head, gently moving her fingers through the tiny bit of hair still growing there. Thelma kept both ears shut against the water with the pointer finger of each hand. Her quiet sighs of pleasure were matched by the sobs rising up from inside my friend as her tears fell into the water of her mother’s last bath.
(Stephanie Paulsell, Practicing Our Faith)
Our Bodies Are Speaking
Our bodies speak to us all the time. How we listen to our bodies can make all the difference in the world!
What do you think Anne’s body is telling her?
Why was it hard for her to hear what her body was saying?
Isn’t it remarkable, almost startling, how different Thelma’s story is from Anne’s story?
What do you notice about Thelma’s response to her own failing body as compared with Anne’s response?
What is Kay, Thelma’s daughter, learning from her mother?
How is dignity being honoured in this story?
How does the married couple’s experience of touching connect them at a deeper level?
What is God saying to them through their bodies and the many different ways they touch?
What have they learned about the importance of touch over their twenty-five years of marriage?
How is the dignity of the body honoured in their lives?
Our bodies speak to us all the time. How we listen to our bodies can make all the difference in the world!
What do you think Anne’s body is telling her?
Why was it hard for her to hear what her body was saying?
Isn’t it remarkable, almost startling, how different Thelma’s story is from Anne’s story?
What do you notice about Thelma’s response to her own failing body as compared with Anne’s response?
What is Kay, Thelma’s daughter, learning from her mother?
How is dignity being honoured in this story?
How does the married couple’s experience of touching connect them at a deeper level?
What is God saying to them through their bodies and the many different ways they touch?
What have they learned about the importance of touch over their twenty-five years of marriage?
How is the dignity of the body honoured in their lives?
Society’s View of the Body
Our society is teaching us that our bodies are objects that can be used, abused, perfected, enhanced, and so on. Pick up any popular, secular newspaper or magazine. Watch television commercials or listen to radio commercials during prime viewing and listening time. It won’t take long for you to notice our obsession with the appearance of our physical bodies, as opposed to an appreciation for our bodies as sources of spiritual meaning. You’ll even notice a disturbing presentation of unrealistically “flawless” bodies during prime children’s programming. Many of the favourite kid shows, including cartoons, feature highly sexualized characters that are portrayed as role models for young children. Our children are taught at a very young age that the look of their bodies, not the goodness of their bodies, is of great importance for success. It’s also interesting to note that these shows are generally flooded with advertisements that teach kids that they need to have the latest stuff in order to be cool. Body materialism and stuff materialism are two sides to the same coin.
But it’s not all bad news. The hunger for spiritual integrity, expressed in care for the body, is not entirely absent in our culture. There is good news, and there are signs that some are listening to and promoting good news. Even some marketing experts are seeing that the supermodel image for women is an empty pursuit. Dove soap, Bath and Body Works, and American Girl have teamed up to promote a new image of beauty. They call it their “real beauty” campaign. They are advertising their product lines using models that look more like the average woman, and they are presenting these fuller-bodied, and often older women as beautiful for who they are. When you see the ads, you immediately sense a difference from traditional beauty ads. These women are beautiful inside and out, but it’s their inner beauty that grabs your attention. You don’t get the sense that they are trying to seduce you if you’re a man or challenge you if you’re a woman. You find yourself enticed by their strength and their natural goodness. They are who they are, and their beauty rests in that alone.
Our society is teaching us that our bodies are objects that can be used, abused, perfected, enhanced, and so on. Pick up any popular, secular newspaper or magazine. Watch television commercials or listen to radio commercials during prime viewing and listening time. It won’t take long for you to notice our obsession with the appearance of our physical bodies, as opposed to an appreciation for our bodies as sources of spiritual meaning. You’ll even notice a disturbing presentation of unrealistically “flawless” bodies during prime children’s programming. Many of the favourite kid shows, including cartoons, feature highly sexualized characters that are portrayed as role models for young children. Our children are taught at a very young age that the look of their bodies, not the goodness of their bodies, is of great importance for success. It’s also interesting to note that these shows are generally flooded with advertisements that teach kids that they need to have the latest stuff in order to be cool. Body materialism and stuff materialism are two sides to the same coin.
But it’s not all bad news. The hunger for spiritual integrity, expressed in care for the body, is not entirely absent in our culture. There is good news, and there are signs that some are listening to and promoting good news. Even some marketing experts are seeing that the supermodel image for women is an empty pursuit. Dove soap, Bath and Body Works, and American Girl have teamed up to promote a new image of beauty. They call it their “real beauty” campaign. They are advertising their product lines using models that look more like the average woman, and they are presenting these fuller-bodied, and often older women as beautiful for who they are. When you see the ads, you immediately sense a difference from traditional beauty ads. These women are beautiful inside and out, but it’s their inner beauty that grabs your attention. You don’t get the sense that they are trying to seduce you if you’re a man or challenge you if you’re a woman. You find yourself enticed by their strength and their natural goodness. They are who they are, and their beauty rests in that alone.
Your View of the Body
Explore your own perspectives about your body by using the following questions.
How do you honour and care for your body?
How do you dishonour or abuse your body?
What do you see when you look in the mirror?
Do you focus on what is beautiful, or do you obsess over perceived flaws?
How has media advertising influenced your view of your body?
How does it influence what you wear, what you eat,
which products you use to care for your body or make you look good, and so on?
The best thing about my body is ________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ because ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________.
If you are in a relationship, how do you care for your partner’s body?
If you have children, how do you care for their bodies?
How do you reach out to the suffering bodies in your community, in our nation, and in the world?
Explore your own perspectives about your body by using the following questions.
How do you honour and care for your body?
How do you dishonour or abuse your body?
What do you see when you look in the mirror?
Do you focus on what is beautiful, or do you obsess over perceived flaws?
How has media advertising influenced your view of your body?
How does it influence what you wear, what you eat,
which products you use to care for your body or make you look good, and so on?
The best thing about my body is ________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ because ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________.
If you are in a relationship, how do you care for your partner’s body?
If you have children, how do you care for their bodies?
How do you reach out to the suffering bodies in your community, in our nation, and in the world?
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Our bodies are gifts. They are gifts from an all-loving God, and they are good because they reflect the goodness of the Creator. Integrity
in Christian living requires that we care for our bodies and our souls with equal and complementary vigor. Caring for the body is an essential part of Christian spirituality, and a healthy spiritual life requires dignified and humble attention to the body. God looked at everything he had made, and he was very pleased. Evening passed and morning came—that was the sixth day.
—Genesis 1:31 Then the Lord God made the man fall into a deep sleep, and while he was sleeping, he took out one of the man’s ribs and closed up the flesh. He formed a woman out of the rib and brought her to him. Then the man said, “At last, here is one of my own kind—bone taken from my bone, and flesh from my flesh. ‘Woman’ is her name because she was taken out of man.” That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united with his wife, and they become one. —Genesis 2:21–24 |
We Are Created in the Image of God
The first chapter of the Bible is the story of the creation of the universe. Heavenly bodies and earthly bodies are created and arranged in a harmonious balance, and God proclaims that all of it is good, very good. God proclaims the goodness of creation exactly seven times in the first chapter of Genesis (see verses 4, 10, 12, 18, 21, 25 and 31). Seven is the number in the Bible that symbolizes fullness or completion. In most translations the word “good” is used, but in some translations we are told that God is pleased. Regardless of the translation, physical creation and the bodily creatures are affirmed seven times, and the seventh affirmation is very good, or God is very pleased.
Unfortunately, the story does not end with the harmony of Genesis 1 and 2. Genesis 3, the chapter that we commonly call the fall, describes the struggle that we all know too well. After giving in to the temptation of the serpent, the woman struggles with her body and with her relationship to the man: And [God] said to the woman,
“I will increase your trouble in pregnancy and your pain in giving birth. In spite of this, you will still have desire for your husband.” —Genesis 3:16 |
The man struggles physically against the body of creation:
Because of what you have done, the ground will be under a curse. You will have to work hard
all your life to make it produce enough food for you. It will produce weeds and thorns, and you will have to eat wild plants. You will have to work hard and sweat to make the soil produce anything, until you go back to the soil from which you were formed.
—Genesis 3:17b-19
all your life to make it produce enough food for you. It will produce weeds and thorns, and you will have to eat wild plants. You will have to work hard and sweat to make the soil produce anything, until you go back to the soil from which you were formed.
—Genesis 3:17b-19
What was originally good is now a mixed blessing.
All of us have a mixed relationship with the body. We both enjoy and struggle with our own bodies, as well as with the bodies of our family members, our friends, our coworkers, our neighbours, and of those we’ve never met. The Genesis 1 promise of goodness and perfect harmony is real but not yet fulfilled. Genesis 3 reminds us that sometimes our bodies can work against us.
We can feel like our bodies are our enemies.
Our bodies grow old and tired.
They ache and they break.
We experience all kinds of temptations that catch us off guard and lead us down paths that we really don’t want to follow.
We like to think that we make free choices about what to do with our bodies, but we sometimes find that our choices end up enslaving us in patterns of habitual or even addictive behaviour, and we wonder where our freedom has gone.
All of us have a mixed relationship with the body. We both enjoy and struggle with our own bodies, as well as with the bodies of our family members, our friends, our coworkers, our neighbours, and of those we’ve never met. The Genesis 1 promise of goodness and perfect harmony is real but not yet fulfilled. Genesis 3 reminds us that sometimes our bodies can work against us.
We can feel like our bodies are our enemies.
Our bodies grow old and tired.
They ache and they break.
We experience all kinds of temptations that catch us off guard and lead us down paths that we really don’t want to follow.
We like to think that we make free choices about what to do with our bodies, but we sometimes find that our choices end up enslaving us in patterns of habitual or even addictive behaviour, and we wonder where our freedom has gone.
- Why do I keep eating when I know I’m full?
- Why do I keep drinking alcoholic beverages when I know I have had enough to drink?
- Why do I keep shopping when my bodily needs are already met?
- Why do I cruise the Internet looking for cheap thrills when I have a wonderful spouse?
- Why do I take that next cigarette when my chest hurts from coughing?
- Why do I feel the need to change the look of my house, my garden, my body, and even my friends and family members when I know that beauty is deeper than surface appearances?
Jesus Affirms the Body by Consoling People
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Jesus embraces both the joy and the pain of life.
To those who are grieving the loss of a loved one or the suffering of a family member Jesus offers his consoling presence. To the widow whose only son has died, Jesus offers consolation and a surprising gift. |
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The dead man was the only son of a woman who was a widow, and a large crowd from the town was with her.
When the Lord saw her, his heart was filled with pity for her, and he said to her, “Don’t cry.”
Then he walked over and touched the coffin, and the men carrying it stopped.
Jesus said, “Young man! Get up, I tell you!”
The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother.
—Luke 7:12b–15
When the Lord saw her, his heart was filled with pity for her, and he said to her, “Don’t cry.”
Then he walked over and touched the coffin, and the men carrying it stopped.
Jesus said, “Young man! Get up, I tell you!”
The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother.
—Luke 7:12b–15
Jesus Affirms the Body by Feeding People
Jesus is concerned about the bodily needs of people. Crowds of people often gathered to hear Jesus teach at a distance from their homes. As the day wears on people are growing hungry and Jesus notices their physical need. He expresses his caring for their bodies by feeding people. Here is one story of Jesus feeding people.
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Jesus called his disciples to him and said,
“I feel sorry for these people, because they have been with me for three days and now have nothing to eat. I don’t want to send them away without feeding them, for they might faint on their way home.” The disciples asked him, “Where will we find enough food in this desert to feed this crowd.” “How much bread do you have?” Jesus asked. “Seven loaves,” they answered, “and a few small fish.” So Jesus ordered the crowd to sit down. Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, gave thanks to God, broken them, and gave them to the disciples; and the disciples gave them to the people. They all ate and had enough. —Matthew 15:32-37 |
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Affirming the Body by Suffering and Rising from the Dead
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The Christian practice of honouring the body requires that we view the world through the lens of Jesus’ wounded but resurrected body. His broken body brings into focus the bodies of the sick and the wounded and the exploited. His resurrection shows us the beauty God intends for all bodies. As we love and suffer, as we seek God and each other, with our bodies, we remember that God blesses every body, and every body deserves protection and care.
(Stephanie Paulsell, Practicing Our Faith) |
Jesus was not afraid of suffering bodies. Throughout his ministry he embraced the pain of people and offered them healing, consolation, and hope. His death on the cross shows us that Jesus was willing to offer the gift of his body on the cross for our salvation. He was willing to suffer and die so that we may have new life with God. Jesus’ body becomes the good news! By offering his body Jesus liberates us.
But his suffering and death was not the end of the story. Jesus was raised from the dead by God, showing us the beauty God intends for all bodies. Even after the resurrection Jesus continues to attend to people’s bodies—by healing, consoling, reassuring, and even feeding people. After the resurrection Jesus uses his body to help the disciples recognise him: “Look at my hands and my feet, and see that it is I myself. Feel me, and you will know, for a ghost doesn’t have flesh and bones, as you can see I have.” He said this and showed them his hands and his feet.” (Luke 24:39–40) Jesus uses his body to help Thomas’ unbelief, “Put your finger here, and look at my hands; then reach out your hand and put it in my side. Stop your doubting, and believe!” (John 20:27). He feeds the disciples after they have been fishing, “’Come and eat.’...So Jesus went over, took the bread, and gave it to them; he did the same with the fish“(John 21:9–13).
But his suffering and death was not the end of the story. Jesus was raised from the dead by God, showing us the beauty God intends for all bodies. Even after the resurrection Jesus continues to attend to people’s bodies—by healing, consoling, reassuring, and even feeding people. After the resurrection Jesus uses his body to help the disciples recognise him: “Look at my hands and my feet, and see that it is I myself. Feel me, and you will know, for a ghost doesn’t have flesh and bones, as you can see I have.” He said this and showed them his hands and his feet.” (Luke 24:39–40) Jesus uses his body to help Thomas’ unbelief, “Put your finger here, and look at my hands; then reach out your hand and put it in my side. Stop your doubting, and believe!” (John 20:27). He feeds the disciples after they have been fishing, “’Come and eat.’...So Jesus went over, took the bread, and gave it to them; he did the same with the fish“(John 21:9–13).
These are the touchstones for a contemporary Christian practice of honouring the body. That God created our bodies good.
That God dwelled fully in a vulnerable human body. That in death God gathers us up, body and all.
That through our bodies we participate in God’s activity in the world.
(Stephanie Paulsell, Practicing Our Faith)
That God dwelled fully in a vulnerable human body. That in death God gathers us up, body and all.
That through our bodies we participate in God’s activity in the world.
(Stephanie Paulsell, Practicing Our Faith)
Caring for Your Body
Change your mindset.
Think about the joy your body provides for you rather than lamenting your flaws. When you were a baby, you had no sense that you were too short, too tall, too fat, too thin, too bald, or too anything. And you didn’t care if people stared. You had no need for privacy. You could not be embarrassed. You marveled at your mother’s voice. You were captivated by your father’s eyes. Colors were exciting. Warm baths were soothing. Clothing meant nothing more than warmth and protection.
• Restore your childlike appreciation for your body by writing a simple list each evening of the wonderful sensations you experienced throughout your day.
• Thank God and your body for those simple and abundant gifts.
Take a body inventory.
• List the things you love about your body.
• Name one thing that needs to change about your body so that you can live well.
• Identify three things you can do to make that change.
1. ___________________________________________ ___________________________________________
2. ___________________________________________ ___________________________________________
3. ___________________________________________ ___________________________________________
• Identify at least one person you can ask to hold you accountable for that change. You will likely fail to make the change if you do it in secret and on your own.
Listen to your body.
We began with a story of a woman who could not discern the voice of God speaking to her through her body. Don’t become that woman. When your body is in pain, what is God trying to say to you through your body?
• What is God saying to you when you have a headache?
• What is God saying to you when you gain weight?
• What is God saying to you when you are struggling to stay awake during the day?
• What is God saying to you when you have pain in your muscles, especially recurring pain?
• What is God saying to you when you
Examine “body habits” and develop a plan to care for your body.
• Food: what are the primary foods in your diet? Are you eating healthy foods and meals? How can you develop a healthier diet? • Exercise: what type of exercise do you engage in? Do you get enough regular exercise? How can you develop a better exercise plan?
• Sleep: how much sleep are you getting? Studies show we need at least seven hours of sleep daily. Are you getting enough sleep? How can you allot more time for sleep?
• Recreation: how do you recreate, that is, take time to relax and enjoy yourself? How can you set aside time for recreation and renewal?
• Stress: how do you deal with stress? How can you reduce the level of stress in your life?
Take delight in your sense of taste. Eat your next meal very slowly.
• Focus on the textures and flavours of the food you eat and the beverage you drink.
• Discern the sweet, salty, bitter and sour sensations on your tongue. Enjoy each sensation for what it is. This practice may help you to develop an appreciation for some foods that you currently do not enjoy.
• Savour your next meal and enjoy the gift of your taste buds.
Think about the joy your body provides for you rather than lamenting your flaws. When you were a baby, you had no sense that you were too short, too tall, too fat, too thin, too bald, or too anything. And you didn’t care if people stared. You had no need for privacy. You could not be embarrassed. You marveled at your mother’s voice. You were captivated by your father’s eyes. Colors were exciting. Warm baths were soothing. Clothing meant nothing more than warmth and protection.
• Restore your childlike appreciation for your body by writing a simple list each evening of the wonderful sensations you experienced throughout your day.
• Thank God and your body for those simple and abundant gifts.
Take a body inventory.
• List the things you love about your body.
• Name one thing that needs to change about your body so that you can live well.
• Identify three things you can do to make that change.
1. ___________________________________________ ___________________________________________
2. ___________________________________________ ___________________________________________
3. ___________________________________________ ___________________________________________
• Identify at least one person you can ask to hold you accountable for that change. You will likely fail to make the change if you do it in secret and on your own.
Listen to your body.
We began with a story of a woman who could not discern the voice of God speaking to her through her body. Don’t become that woman. When your body is in pain, what is God trying to say to you through your body?
• What is God saying to you when you have a headache?
• What is God saying to you when you gain weight?
• What is God saying to you when you are struggling to stay awake during the day?
• What is God saying to you when you have pain in your muscles, especially recurring pain?
• What is God saying to you when you
Examine “body habits” and develop a plan to care for your body.
• Food: what are the primary foods in your diet? Are you eating healthy foods and meals? How can you develop a healthier diet? • Exercise: what type of exercise do you engage in? Do you get enough regular exercise? How can you develop a better exercise plan?
• Sleep: how much sleep are you getting? Studies show we need at least seven hours of sleep daily. Are you getting enough sleep? How can you allot more time for sleep?
• Recreation: how do you recreate, that is, take time to relax and enjoy yourself? How can you set aside time for recreation and renewal?
• Stress: how do you deal with stress? How can you reduce the level of stress in your life?
Take delight in your sense of taste. Eat your next meal very slowly.
• Focus on the textures and flavours of the food you eat and the beverage you drink.
• Discern the sweet, salty, bitter and sour sensations on your tongue. Enjoy each sensation for what it is. This practice may help you to develop an appreciation for some foods that you currently do not enjoy.
• Savour your next meal and enjoy the gift of your taste buds.
Care for the Body of Others
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The practice of honouring the body challenges us to remember the sacredness of the body in every moment of our lives. We cannot do this alone. Because our bodies are so vulnerable, we need each other to protect and care for them.
A woman giving birth needs others to help her; adolescents struggling with sexual pressure need a community that insists on the autonomy of bodies made in God’s image; those living with bodily illness need others to care for them and touch them in ways that heal and soothe. Our fragile bodies require communal attention, and so honouring the body is a shared practice, one that requires the participation of all. (Stephanie Paulsell, Practicing Our Faith) |
Be awestruck by eye contact.
We often lose our amazement with eye contact as we age. We protect our feelings by sheltering our eyes from each other. Pay attention to how you converse with your family members and your coworkers. Are you able to show genuine interest in your conversation partner by looking directly at him or her? This is not to suggest that you stare at people in a creepy way, but generously give your attention to others when you share conversation with them.
Reach out to an ailing body.
Recall Thelma and Kay from the story at the beginning of this chapter. Is there someone close to you who is struggling with an ailing body? Did you notice in the story that Thelma, the care-receiver, was calling the shots? Kay, the caregiver, was the obedient servant.
• Over the next day or two, look for somebody whose body needs your care. Respond to that need as an obedient and loving servant by allowing the one with the ailing body to take the lead.
• Volunteer in a nursing home or hospital to care for the ailing bodies of people in your community.
Care for the body of Christ.
Saint Paul called the followers of Christ the “body of Christ.” Like any other body, it needs care to thrive. How do you care for the body of Christ?
• The body of Christ becomes well when its members work together. The first step is getting to know the other members. Identify one person at church who you don’t know. Make it a point to get to know that person. Don’t limit yourself to people your own age. Try to get to know people younger and older than you.
• Identify one weak and vulnerable member of your church, perhaps a person who is often ignored. Take some time to give this person some extra attention this Sunday.
• Become an active member of at least one ministry or organization in your church. Your active presence matters to the body of Christ as much as your thumb matters to your body. Go a day without using your thumb, and you’ll get a sense of how important you are to the church.
Enjoy the bodies with whom you share your meals.
Don’t just eat in close proximity to other bodies. Share the experience of caring for the body while you dine together.
• Share in the preparation of the food.
• Share in the table preparation and serving.
• Share in the conversation. Take responsibility to bring up at least one topic of conversation at every meal you share with others.
• Share in the clean-up.
• Share everything and enjoy the care that is expressed by sharing.
Clothe your body with an awareness of others.
What do your clothing choices say about you and others? Do you choose your clothing as a way to compete with others in your community? Do your clothing choices cause others to work in deplorable conditions? If so, what can you do about it? Should you boycott these clothes, or should you put pressure on the clothing manufacturer to care for its employees? Your choices in how you clothe your body can make a difference in the bodily care of others. Visit www.fairindigo.com for an example of an organization that promotes fair trade clothing, or search the Internet for “fair trade clothing.”
Connect family and church.
The church cares for bodies in much the same way that families care for bodies. Be conscious of how connected church life is with family life.
• Bathing bodies: families show their care for young bodies and ill bodies by bathing them in water. The church shows its care for new members by baptizing them in water.
• Feeding bodies: families break bread together around a dining room table to nourish the body. The church breaks and shares the blessed bread around a common table to nourish the body of Christ with the body of Christ.
• Soothing and protecting bodies: families rub oil on aching muscles to soothe them or on dry skin to protect it. The church uses oil in a variety of rituals as a sign of God’s healing and protection.
• Dressing bodies: families dress and adorn the body in particular ways to signify particular occasions and to acknowledge different seasons. The church dresses and adorns its members to signify differing roles and the meaning of distinct occasions and seasons.
Work to free people who are enslaved.
As hard as it is to believe, over 25 million people in our world are enslaved and living in bondage today. They are part of a global slave trade. And many are children and teenagers! Join with others in fighting slavery and freeing people.
We can do our part by advocating to change practices that perpetuate slavery. An easy place to start is to choose Fairtrade when you shop.
Learn more about Anti-slavery advocacy and FAIRTRADE by clicking on any of the links below:
We often lose our amazement with eye contact as we age. We protect our feelings by sheltering our eyes from each other. Pay attention to how you converse with your family members and your coworkers. Are you able to show genuine interest in your conversation partner by looking directly at him or her? This is not to suggest that you stare at people in a creepy way, but generously give your attention to others when you share conversation with them.
Reach out to an ailing body.
Recall Thelma and Kay from the story at the beginning of this chapter. Is there someone close to you who is struggling with an ailing body? Did you notice in the story that Thelma, the care-receiver, was calling the shots? Kay, the caregiver, was the obedient servant.
• Over the next day or two, look for somebody whose body needs your care. Respond to that need as an obedient and loving servant by allowing the one with the ailing body to take the lead.
• Volunteer in a nursing home or hospital to care for the ailing bodies of people in your community.
Care for the body of Christ.
Saint Paul called the followers of Christ the “body of Christ.” Like any other body, it needs care to thrive. How do you care for the body of Christ?
• The body of Christ becomes well when its members work together. The first step is getting to know the other members. Identify one person at church who you don’t know. Make it a point to get to know that person. Don’t limit yourself to people your own age. Try to get to know people younger and older than you.
• Identify one weak and vulnerable member of your church, perhaps a person who is often ignored. Take some time to give this person some extra attention this Sunday.
• Become an active member of at least one ministry or organization in your church. Your active presence matters to the body of Christ as much as your thumb matters to your body. Go a day without using your thumb, and you’ll get a sense of how important you are to the church.
Enjoy the bodies with whom you share your meals.
Don’t just eat in close proximity to other bodies. Share the experience of caring for the body while you dine together.
• Share in the preparation of the food.
• Share in the table preparation and serving.
• Share in the conversation. Take responsibility to bring up at least one topic of conversation at every meal you share with others.
• Share in the clean-up.
• Share everything and enjoy the care that is expressed by sharing.
Clothe your body with an awareness of others.
What do your clothing choices say about you and others? Do you choose your clothing as a way to compete with others in your community? Do your clothing choices cause others to work in deplorable conditions? If so, what can you do about it? Should you boycott these clothes, or should you put pressure on the clothing manufacturer to care for its employees? Your choices in how you clothe your body can make a difference in the bodily care of others. Visit www.fairindigo.com for an example of an organization that promotes fair trade clothing, or search the Internet for “fair trade clothing.”
Connect family and church.
The church cares for bodies in much the same way that families care for bodies. Be conscious of how connected church life is with family life.
• Bathing bodies: families show their care for young bodies and ill bodies by bathing them in water. The church shows its care for new members by baptizing them in water.
• Feeding bodies: families break bread together around a dining room table to nourish the body. The church breaks and shares the blessed bread around a common table to nourish the body of Christ with the body of Christ.
• Soothing and protecting bodies: families rub oil on aching muscles to soothe them or on dry skin to protect it. The church uses oil in a variety of rituals as a sign of God’s healing and protection.
• Dressing bodies: families dress and adorn the body in particular ways to signify particular occasions and to acknowledge different seasons. The church dresses and adorns its members to signify differing roles and the meaning of distinct occasions and seasons.
Work to free people who are enslaved.
As hard as it is to believe, over 25 million people in our world are enslaved and living in bondage today. They are part of a global slave trade. And many are children and teenagers! Join with others in fighting slavery and freeing people.
We can do our part by advocating to change practices that perpetuate slavery. An easy place to start is to choose Fairtrade when you shop.
Learn more about Anti-slavery advocacy and FAIRTRADE by clicking on any of the links below:
God, who knit us together in a mother’s womb,
help us honour what you have made.
Let us touch this masterpiece gently,
with reverence, with delight, blessing what you have blessed.
[You may want to touch each body part as you pray…]
The face,
For the housing of our thoughts, For the muscles of our emotion.
The arms,
For embracing what is sacred, For grasping, then releasing, your gifts.
The belly,
For taking in nourishment, And, in some, for the nurture of new life.
The thighs,
For carrying another’s burden, For pushing off from the ground.
The feet,
For walking your paths of peace, For standing on holy ground.
God, who formed these inward and outward parts,
Fill us with wonder at such knowledge,
knowledge that we are wonderfully made. Amen.
(Dorothy Bass and Don Richter, Way to Live Leader's Guide)
help us honour what you have made.
Let us touch this masterpiece gently,
with reverence, with delight, blessing what you have blessed.
[You may want to touch each body part as you pray…]
The face,
For the housing of our thoughts, For the muscles of our emotion.
The arms,
For embracing what is sacred, For grasping, then releasing, your gifts.
The belly,
For taking in nourishment, And, in some, for the nurture of new life.
The thighs,
For carrying another’s burden, For pushing off from the ground.
The feet,
For walking your paths of peace, For standing on holy ground.
God, who formed these inward and outward parts,
Fill us with wonder at such knowledge,
knowledge that we are wonderfully made. Amen.
(Dorothy Bass and Don Richter, Way to Live Leader's Guide)