's motd Wed Sept 3, 2008

[Guest guest]

SANCTUARY

Wednesday, 03 September 2008

I began going to Catholic Church at the age of six. Why I had never seen a place like that church in my life the first time I my parents took me there! From the moment I walked in, I could feel the holiness of the church. If you've been to New Orleans and seen the St. Louis Cathedral Basilica then you know what I mean.

Since my upbringing as a Catholic, I have studied many religions. And I have to tell you that I find religions fascinating. Who created them? What do they stand for? What is their message?And in all of the books that I've read about religion, they all had a similar theme running through their philosophies. And that one great philosophy is that your body is a temple, designed by your creator. That is, in its own way, each of our bodies is a sanctuary.Hey, we could have been born as a mosquito or even a ficus tree. But, our creator chose to make each of us into human beings. And you have to admit that these bodies of ours are all miracles. I mean look at all of the things our bodies can do, that is...if we treat them well.Here's my question: Do you treat your own body as if it's a sanctuary or...do you treat it as if it's a garbage truck? Me? Well, I'll be honest with you. I used to fall into the "garbage truck" category. In the past, all day long, I was putting all the wrong foods into my body. I was just dumping lots of sugar, fats and all of that garbage into my body, all day long.

And when I looked at my body in the mirror, well, it sort of resembled a garbage truck, too! And to tell you the truth, I felt like one! I was always tired and out of energy. I moved at about the pace of a snail. I lived in that body of garbage for a long time and, the really sad part is that I knew better!I knew my body was a sanctuary. I learned that from what I was taught at St. Louis Cathedral. I knew that I should be taking better care of my body, my santuary.

Well, the good news is that when I began losing weight and taking better care of myself, the transformation I saw in my body was amazing. I actually felt my body beginning to heal and become healthier.Now I don't know how you were raised or if you went to church or not when you were a child. But still, the message is loud and clear. God designed you in His own image and likeness. And for that reason, you should treat your body like a temple.

I hope you've been staying on program this week. I hope you're drinking your water and choosing the healthiest of foods to eat. And I hope you're working out because nothing makes the windows of your sanctuary shine like a little sweat.Please, treat your temple well today.Love,