“Through Elijah’s story I realized that there is a very real connection between care for our body, ability to continue deepening our relationship with God and our capacity to faithfully carry out God’s purposes for our life over the long haul.”
-Ruth Haley Barton, Sacred Rhythms: Arranging Our Lives for Spiritual Transformation
I’m slowly getting better about listening to my physical body. This morning’s sunrise once again made my jaw drop in wonder. Venus hung just above a sliver of moon. The crimson glow of the sun mirrored back in the ocean. We call it lala fare, literally “peace, flat”. Jesus and coffee, peace and calm, moonset and sunrise, what a good way to begin the day.
“Paying attention to what gives our body and our spirit a sense of life or drains life from us can help us stay connected with God’s guiding presence. When I honor my body by 'listening' to tension, discomfort, lightness, or joy and wonder, asking, Now what is that about? Often God speaks into that awareness with truth and insight that proves very helpful over the long haul.”
The red in the sky began to fade, and I knew it was time to go inside to exercise. But my body didn’t want to cooperate. I dissolved into tears while trying to finish my push-ups. My ears began to throb. I was extra cranky and irritable. We hadn't been able to connect the satellite email for more than a week, and I missed hearing from friends and family. After breakfast and chores, I asked Aaron to charge the otoscope so he could look into my ears before he left for the overnight translation committee meeting in Nono Village. When he took a peek midday, he said it looked like somebody had sneezed in my ears! The kino blooming for the last couple of weeks caused my body to fight back more than I had realized.
My goal is to listen to the Holy Spirit well and steward every area of my life well – physical, mental, spiritual, emotional – so I can continue to deepen my relationship with God and my capacity to faithfully carry out God’s purposes for my life over the long haul.
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