Devotions from Stephen’s Smith’s book, Soul Custody

 We all need to discover how we can make the body-soul connection in our lives.  Some people take prayer walks and can be a good therapy for our soul and body. Some may do it by running or going to the gym.   They founder of the YMCA, Dwight Moody, saw that caring for the body was a way to care for the souls of men and women.  It still continues to help people live well through the development of spirit, mind, and body. How we treat our body is how we treat our souls. To honor our souls means to honor the body in which our soul dwells.  To abuse or neglect our body is to do violence against our souls. Sometimes we may become disappointed with our bodies and can become over whelmed with self-rejection.  We may listen to the voice of self-condemnation that can speak more loudly than God’s voice that we are His beloved.  We need to recognize, face and refute the lies about our bodies and believe the truth. He already accepts us and we can stop striving. If we try to be perfect by the world’s standards we will fail. But when we receive the truth that we are fearfully and wonderfully made, we will want to care for God’s remarkable creation. One day we will have new bodies but as we treat our bodies with honor and respect on this earth it is an act of worship and an act of faith.