the vision to transform my body (pt. 1)

We continue Vision/Intention/Means from Renovation of the Heart Student Edition (Dallas Willard, Randy Frazee). This week we look at transforming the body.

Our bodies are the delivery system of who we are. In a renovated life, our bodies have to be ready to do what is right and hesitant to do what is wrong. Our bodies are not evil in themselves, but they sure get us in a lot of trouble! In the process of transformation, it may be the body that gets in the way most often.

Our bodies are given to us by God as a good thing. He honors our bodies so much he chose to come in a body as Jesus. This is called the "Incarnation," literally "taking on flesh." We do not have a faith that considers the body evil and we have to harm it or pretend it does not exist like some other religions.

At the same time, we don't worship our bodies and give in to bodily desires as is called for in some other religions. In fact, worship of the body may be one of the key "religions" or worldviews of modern society in all of its advertising and media splendor. Future archeologists will think of our age as the time of the bare midriff and "six-pack" abs.

The result of all this obsession with the body and getting what we want through it makes growing older a curse. All the dieting, exercise and plastic surgery in the world is not going to erase the fact that we are all going to die. Transforming our way of thinking about our bodies brings us to the path where our body is a servant rather than the master of who we are. It is the difference between a carnally focused life and a spiritually focused life.