So in the past few days I've been meditating on 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."
And this morning I woke up with an exciting example of what this looks like in my life!
I am a nanny for a beautiful, toddler girl named Kayla. As those of you who have taken care of other people's children might know, it is not the same as watching you own kids or even other children in your family. For example, I hardly see my 7 (almost 8) nieces and nephews, but my heart longs for them. I love them in a way that could only be trumped by having my own children. I deeply care about them because they are my family. They are mine. Kayla, on the other hand, is not mine. I still take care of her and I do have a type of love for her, but I know that when I'm done working with her, I might not ever see her again. I have no lasting bond with her, and that is ok.
The reality of my job is that I am a servant of Kayla's parents. When I take care of Kayla, it is my responsibility to present her to her parents at the end of the day as clean, healthy, and hopefully better educated and behaved than in the morning. When they get home I give an account of everything we did together, everything she ate, and even how much she pooped. I can't count the number of times I've told Kayla's parents while talking about other unsatisfactory nannies that "I am here to make sure Kayla is getting the kind of care you would give her if you were here with her yourself. It's not about what I want for Kayla, but what you want for Kayla." And because I know they are loving parents, I do think they want the best for her.
In the same way, I am not my own. I will be accountable for everything I have done, even my thoughts and heart desires, on the judgment day. God has given me the responsibility to take care of this body, but that doesn't mean that it is mine to with as I choose. Just like I make an effort to give Kayla a balanced diet and take her out to get exercise, I need to take care of the body God has given me. I am NOT my own! My body is not mine!
What is more, is that I would never think of encouraging little Kayla to sin! I think of Paul's words in Romans 6:2 when asked about continuing in sin - "Hell NO!" Her body is not mine! Specifically, Paul was talking about sexual sin in 1 Cor. 6, which makes this topic even more repulsive. For those of us who struggle with sexual sin, think about the fact that we are now taking care of someone else's body! Not just anyone's body, but God's body! The mere I idea makes me sick to my stomach!
As I was thinking about this topic of children and sin, a memory of a little girl my mom used to take care came to mind. One spring break when I was home from school. I saw this little girl, at the time she was about 3 years old. She loved to sing and dance in her twirly skirts. That morning, as I was making breakfast for myself, she danced into the kitchen singing at the top of her lungs, "Touch my body!" by Mariah Carey. I was shocked and horrified to learn that this little child listened to these sexually explicit songs on a regular basis! What kind of mother would let her child listen to that filth!?!
And then I am convicted about my own life.... How many times do I find myself humming along to a less than God-honoring song? How many quotes do I have memorized from "questionable" movies?
I am not my own.
So the question remains, how am I taking care of God's body? What kind of servant am I? Can I say to God the same thing I say to Kayla's mother? "It's not about what I want for my life, but what you want. And because I know You are my loving Father, I believe You want the best for me."
