How many times in your life have you heard the statement, your body is your temple? Its one of those ideas that sneak into your consciousness and you dont know where you actually heard it.

Think about it for a moment. Do you believe that your body is your temple? Maybe it doesnt make sense to you at first. Lets see what the dictionary has to say about a temple and then you tell me.

a place dedicated to worship

having within it a divine presence

a place reserved for a highly valued function

Lets take a look at them one by one.

Your body is a place that needs to be dedicated to worshiping itself.

If you dont worship your own body, who will? And what exactly does worshiping your body mean? Worshiping your body means taking care of it. Worshiping your body means doing what is best for it, not just on the outside but on the inside as well. Worshiping your body means nurturing it with proper nutrition, regular exercise and sufficient sleep. Worshiping your body means learning about it and listening to it. When your body is sick, its letting you know that something is missing. It requires something that you are not giving it. Im not talking about worship in terms of becoming obsessed with how you look. Im talking about treating your body with respect, compassion and care.

Your body has within it a divine presence.

Doesn't it make sense that a divine presence resides within your body? You dont need to be religious to believe that we are all one with the universe. How else can we explain the miracle of our body. Just think for a moment about all the functions it performs without our even thinking about it. Our heart beats, our eyes blink, we breathe, we swallow, we digestall with no conscious thought. We have countless hormones, enzymes, muscles, bones, organs, all working in perfect harmony. It is amazing, given how many of us treat our body, that it continues to work as well as it does. Who can possibly explain such an amazing machine without realizing that a power more powerful than we are dwells within us.

Your body is reserved for a highly valued function.

Wouldnt you agree that your body is reserved for a highly valued function? Without your body, you would have no vehicle to carry you through this life, no way to fulfill on what you see as your lifes purpose, no way to do those things that are important to you. I suspect you can see that is a highly valued function. After all, what could be more important? Using your body to accomplish all those things you need to do every day. And, beyond that, being able to use your body to do everything you want to do. Im going to get a little personal here. Ive been in a position where my body was sick and I simply couldnt do many of the things I needed and wanted to do. Its no fun. Many of us take our body for granted. Unfortunately, it took a crisis for me to learn that lesson. Dont wait until you have a crisis in your life to begin to appreciate your body.

So, can we agree that your body really is your temple?

And, can we agree that, as your temple, your body deserves to be treated with the utmost respect and care?

Many of us tend to focus much of our attention on cutting, coloring and arranging our hair, keeping our nails impeccably polished and making sure our makeup is perfect. But what do we do about everything below our neck? How much time do we spend tending to those parts of us?

How many of us pay careful attention to the nutrition we feed our body? If you dont put the right kind of fuel in a car, it simply wont run. How many of us make sure that we are giving our body enough exercise to keep it in good working order. Here comes the car again! You might know that, if you dont drive a car but simply leave it parked in the garage, it wont run very well. You wont be able to depend on it when you need it. Well, our body is no different. We need to use it. The more we use it, the better it runs.

Since youre reading this, Im betting youve already realized what youve been doing to destroy your temple. Insufficient exercise, poor nutrition, inadequate rest, stress. And, if youve made it to this paragraph, I imagine youre very interested in repairing the damage and learning how to take good care of your body from now on. Let me be the first to encourage you to begin healthy nutrition and exercise practices right now. You will never make a better investment in yourself. Your temple will thrive on it.