Your Greatest Gift

As certified owners of a spoiled dog, we leave the television on when we go out so she has something to “watch.” Last Sunday we went to church and came home to find our dog watching a sermon on TV.

As I was fixing lunch, I overheard the TV preacher telling his congregation (and my dog) that they needed to make lots of money because that’s what God wanted from them. I had my own little table-flipping moment in my heart, shook my head, and promptly turned the TV off.

Later that day, my Bible reading brought me to the familiar passage where Jesus finds the temple turned into a place of profit—what should have been a sacred celebration of Passover distorted into something closer to a noisy zoo. He drove out the livestock and birds, overturned tables, and cleared the mess.

And suddenly, I saw that table-flipping moment in a new light.

In 1 Corinthians 6:19–20 we are told that our bodies are temples:

“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.”

Think about it. The human body is a breathtaking work of art—gifted to us. It has an incredible capacity to heal itself. Physicians don’t actually heal us; they try to support the body’s own healing through food, surgery, exercise, rest, or medicine. It’s so complex that we often see multiple specialists just to understand one issue—and sometimes even they don’t fully know what’s happening.

Our bodies were knit together in our mother’s wombs, survived birth, and grew into fully functioning adults capable of reason, creativity, movement, and survival in extreme circumstances.

There are even fascinating new studies on the microflora within our bodies—the gut biome. Each microorganism carries DNA or RNA that can influence how our bodies function. We’ve only scratched the surface of this knowledge, and as we learn more, it may completely change medicine as we know it. Once again, the body reveals itself as a masterpiece beyond human comprehension.

Which brings me to the heart of this reflection.

Would Jesus flip tables in the way I care for His temple? How do I truly honor God with my body?

Do I protect the gift of this temple? Do I react as Jesus did when filth tries to take up residence? Do I turn off the TV when the message distorts God’s heart? Do I stop myself from going down the rabbit hole of outrage and hate on social media? Do I feed my mind reliable, life-giving information? Do I care for the interior by choosing nourishing food? Do I walk the fine line between too much and too little—rest and movement, feasting and fasting? And do I practice these choices daily, not just occasionally?

How can I honor the temple I was given?

I am accountable for the gifts God has entrusted to me—and my body may be the most sacred of them all.