February 13, 2011
Maintaining the Image
12:00 AM | 
Posted by
E Living
Well, I am officially back! Many changes are going on in my and my family's lives, but you can read more about that on my personal blog. I'm just happy too be writing for Seeds again!
In high school I had a close friend, let's call her Cindy. She was a vibrant, smart, outgoing and beautiful girl. She took care of herself by eating as best as an average teenage girl does, she was on the high school soccer team, and was always up to date on all the new fashion trends. When we got into college, she gave up her soccer days in exchange for a job as a waitress at the school cafe. Everything else about her pretty much stayed the same, but she had to run every now and then to combat the few extra pounds she had gained while working at the cafe. She tried to stay on top of fashion, but since she was on her own to buy clothes now; she went for more classic looks and didn't buy as many high fashion clothes. We graduated college together and moved back to our hometown. After a few years working, she married her college sweetheart, and they settled down to start a family. Her first pregnancy was a zip, no problems, textbook the doctor said. The extra baby weight was worked off at her local gym while hubby or grandma watched the baby.
Then came the twins.
She gained a few more pounds than she wanted to, and was so distressed with taking care of the kids that she slowly gave up on herself. Her mother offered to watch the kids while she went to the gym, her husband tenderly nudged her in that direction also, but she wouldn't listen to them...she said it was just not going to happen. It's hard to see a close friend go from a well dressed, healthy woman, to a worn out mamma who doesn't care much any more. Now you may want to come to her defense and say, "well you haven't had kids or gained much weight...so you don't know what it's like". I may not know exactly what it's like for someone else, but yes I have had three kids and have had to work out to get back into a healthy state. It is hard, but it pays off more than you know.
The story of Cindy was a conglomeration of stories from several women I have known, and it's a sad one. Not only because they gave up caring for themselves, but also because they gave up for their husband.
What??
Yes, their husband. Not that being skinny, or looking like the girl your husband met is the goal - it's not; but "maintaining your temple" is. For God's glory AND for yourself AND for your husband's enjoyment. Consider these two verses...
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 "Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies."
Proverbs 31:22 "She makes coverings for her bed; she is clothed in fine linen and purple."
As addressed in an earlier post, Image Bearing Sex, a pinnacle part of the image bearing marriage lies in the marriage bed. "Yes; God made man and woman, but the ultimate Image Bearer came when He created the marriage union, and it was consummated. The great celebration of marriage is the coming together of two image bearers in marriage and becoming one flesh. Sex. Becoming one ultimate Image Bearer." (Excerpt from that post) This goes hand in hand with maintaining the image. We are to maintain this body, this temple that God has given to our self and our husband. 1 Corinthians 7 is a great chapter for this one, here's a snippet from that chapter. " 3 The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband. 4 The wife does not have authority over her own body but yields it to her husband. In the same way, the husband does not have authority over his own body but yields it to his wife."
Let me say this in closing...
"Maintaining the Image" is not about being a certain dress size or having the latest fashion trends; it's about caring for the body you have been gifted with, celebrating it, and helping your husband fully enjoy it as well.
I decided to begin a new chapter in my blog that is very exciting, and if you like my posts here, you will be sure to love the idea for change on my blog; read about it here.
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