our bodies

"It's true that our bodies can overwhelm us with their impulses and terrify us with their vulnerability.  What can we do against their demands for food and drink, security and comfort, power and love?  We speak of the troubles of Job.  The events he had to endure that drove him to spiritual despair were all events of the body--either his body or those for whom he cared...

...The human body was made to be the vehicle of human personality ruling the earth for God through his power. Withdrawn from that function by loss of its connection with God, the body is caught in the inevitable state of corruption in which we find it now."

-Dallas Willard, The Spirit of the Disciplines

Continuing to reflect on The Spirit of the Disciplines, I am brought to this section on our bodies.  Often times we are, as Willard says, overwhelmed by our bodies impulses and terrified by the vulnerability.  However, the body was intended for something else.  The body cannot live out its function if it is separate from God.  We spend so much time devoted to our studies, devoted to our friends, devoted to our leisure activities, but we don't spend nearly enough time devoted to staying connected with God.  Why are we so unwilling to commit the effort He deserves?  

While reading through the One Year Bible I have come to the point of Christ being crucified and reading through the section always causes me to feel convicted about how ungrateful I truly am.  I spend so much time worrying and trying to make my own plans while trying to convince myself and others that I am totally trusting God.  While I do trust God, I have a long way to go because I continue to hold on to things and keep my own plans in the back of my head hoping that if I trust enough MY plans will come true.  In reality, it says "THY will be done" not MY will be done. It is arrogant to think that my plans or actions can change the course God laid out for me.  

In the same way that we neglect to give our relationship with God the time it deserves, we neglect to trust His plans because we still want our plans to succeed.  I have been humbled in the sense that while I can plan and think all I want, it is God's plans that will succeed.  Regardless of my shortcomings and my corrupted body...God intended us to use our bodies to fulfill His purpose and He is faithful to do what He says He will do.  I'm confident that as we work through matters of the heart and body we will continue to be brought back to the truth that we will always be withdrawn from our function if we are not connected to God in the way we were intended, but that takes effort.  Are you willing?