When I look in a mirror, I have a hard time being okay with what I see. Or at least, I did, starting in elementary school, all the way through middle and high school. Even now. But that is changing.
Lately, I've been thinking about how my body is a temple. If you grew up in the LDS church, then you've probably heard that hundreds of times. Talking about tattoos? Your body is a temple, don't defile your temple. Word of Wisdom? Your body is a temple, don't drink alcohol or do drugs. Simple. There is more to this than I ever thought about though.
My body is a temple. It was created with great care by the greatest being in the universe, Heavenly Father. It was created so that my spirit could come to earth and have a place to dwell while here. The only way for my Spirit to get back to Heavenly Father is to come to Earth and join with a physical body. My body is also a place for the Holy Ghost to dwell. He guides me and comforts me. I can't make it through the time on Earth without the Holy Ghost.
Now, what does that have to do with mirrors and Satan?
Satan knows that my body is a temple for my spirit and the Holy Ghost. He knows that I can't get back to Heavenly Father with a broken spirit and a dirty temple.
With that knowledge he attacks me! Not physically. He can't touch me. BUT, he CAN and he WILL whisper to me. He will try to convince me that I am ugly, weird, awkward. He will trick other people into believing that they know what beauty is, so that they can tell me if I'm not.
For example: I'm white. I. can. not. tan. In America, being tan is "beautiful", and it really is, but so is being fair skinned. I didn't know that though. I just thought, "if only I was able to tan. I would be more beautiful." I, not only, have my own thoughts telling me that I should be more tan, I have friends that tell me that too. I've had friends look at my arms after a long winter and say "Wow, have you been outside at all?" or "Kinsey, you just need to go outside and tan." (I tried, it resulted in a horrible sunburn, ouch!) Look people, I don't tan. It doesn't happen that way. I'm learning though, that Heavenly Father made me this way. He gave me fair skin. He carefully picked out the color of my skin, the color of my hair, the color of my eyes. He decided I should be "this tall" and "this wide". "Her feet will be this size."
"She will be allergic to cats, and dislike these foods."
"Eventually, she will learn to like certain foods, but others she will decide she still doesn't like."
"She will be quiet, she will be stubborn, she will be a little quirky, but I want her to be that way." "She'll be her mom's best friend, kind to those around her, and love those with disabilities."
"She will cry a lot, but she'll get used to it and learn to carry tissues everywhere."
I have been thinking about this a lot. God made me the way I am for a reason. Instead of trying to be like others around me, why am I not embracing WHO I AM and loving myself?
If my body is a temple, then I need to treat it like one. I need to be kind to it. I need to take care of it. I need to love it, and it's creator.
I need to shove Satan out. (Get thee hence, Satan!)
I need to ignore others judgments.
I'm white. That's not bad.
I'm short. Embrace it, Kinsey!
I blush a lot. God made me that way.
The list goes on and on. I had a list of things I wish I could change about myself, it gets shorter the more and more I think about this.
I'm learning that I want my temple to be clean and healthy. I exercise for myself. I eat healthy for myself. I love myself and praise God.
It's my temple, and I will take care of it and love it, because it was a gift from my Heavenly Father.
It's as simple as that.
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