Making Room for What Matters Most

Week 1 – Caring for our Bodies

Breath Prayer

(Breathe in) My body is a gift. (Breathe out) Help me, God, to take care of it.

We receive our bodies as a gift from God. This can be hard for us to believe if we spend our time counting their flaws or ignoring them altogether…. The human body is more spectacular and intricate than anything else in the world. But we almost never notice it. We take it more granted until it doesn’t work. Only then do we glimpse the kind of abundant mercy found on an ordinary week with a functioning body. – Prayer in the Night

Lent is a season of preparation for Easter. We prepare by making room in our hearts and in our daily lives to connect with God and bless others. So how does caring for our bodies impact our ability to so?

Scripture Reading and Reflection

Read the scriptures below. As you read, think about these questions:

• How does each scripture relate to caring for your body?
• Is there an instruction to follow or a truth to believe? How could embracing these instructions and truths lead to a more abundant life?
• How does caring for our bodies represent Jesus to the world around us? In other words, how can caring for our bodies help us be the men and women God has made us to be and thereby display his goodness to the world?

Psalm 139:14
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful. I know that full well.

Romans 12:1-2
¹Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. ² Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Galatians 5:22-23
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

Romans 8:5
Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.

2 Corinthians 7:1
Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.

2 Corinthians 4:16
¹⁶ Therefore, we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.

Prayer

Take a moment and talk to God about this area in your life. Are you able to see your body for the gift that it is? If not, why? What verse(s) particularly spoke to you? What stirs in your mind or heart when you think about this topic? As you honestly bring these thoughts to God, invite him to speak to you. You could say something like, “Jesus what is it that you want me to know?” or simply, “Jesus, I am here and listening.” Then wait and pay attention to what he might want to say to you. Remember, if it is God’s voice, it will always be to build you up not tear you down. He is for you and deeply loves you.

Making Room

What is one thing (as it relates to caring for your body) that you can reduce or eliminate from your life this week (or throughout Lent) by replacing it with something more healthy or beneficial?

For Families

As a way to help our families engage in Lent together, we wanted to provide you with a few ideas that relate to the weekly topic.

Talking with our kids about our bodies/health can be challenging. We live in a culture that uses the word health to mean so many things and as a marketing ploy. We know unhealthy habits and low body image plague our current generation of teens. Not wanting to over focus on appearances, we are tempted to say too little to our kids about their physical bodies.

Below are a few ways to connect with your kids and show them how to practically care for their bodies. Know that later in the spring our Family Resource Wall will go deeper into this topic.

In regard to food, we all want our kids to eat a nutritious range of foods and we all know sometimes that can be a challenge. Some things to keep in mind:

• Keep offering and re-offering new foods without pressuring or forcing your child to eat them.
• When you talk about food, instead of saying a food is “good” or “bad”, talk about what this food does for your body.

• • “These oranges give our body Vitamin C to help it fight germs.”
  • “Red foods like apples give you a strong heart”.  “
  • “Proteins, like chicken, help us grow.”

In regard to physical activity, think of activities to do together as a family.  Issue fun challenges and keep it positive. You may know your goal is more activity and less screen time but focus your words on encouraging activity. Below are a few ideas:

• Take a family walk around the neighborhood or a local park.
• Challenge your kids to spend an extra 15 minutes a day outside this week.
• Have a dance party!

When given the opportunity remind them of our breath prayer for the week:

(Breathe in) My body is a gift. (Breathe out) Help me, God, to take care of it.