Summertime

Summertime.

Mainly, it is uninterrupted family time.  I love summer.  Vacation, picnics, movies, outings, swimming, etc.  Until you say bathing suit.  Then dread sets in.

Mammas sometimes have a rough go fitting into those tiny things, and if we are lucky enough to get one on, we become very subconscious of how we look.  We curse that snack or bite of ice cream.  We cringe as we pass the mirror and affirm that we will ditch the extra cream in the coffee.  We tie a towel around and proceed outside.  Then swim?  HA.  Out of the question.  Who wants to hear the snide comment of the extra baby pounds or the years are starting to take their toll?  The body shaming may not be overt, but we feel it.

We sit on the sidelines, vowing to diet and exercise.  That accomplishes nothing but probably hatred for ourselves.

While having good health is good, what should we focus on? What is really important?  The priority is God and souls.  Then everything else falls into place, including our physical beings.  That includes having a healthy view of our bodies.  Keeping them in the best shape, given our calling and obligations is a must, but not with obsession.

1 Corinthians 10:31 states:

So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

That includes what we see at the movies, where we vacation, what outings we do, not just bathing suits.  What we consume through our senses matter.  So is that ice cream really important?  The Good Lord has given us a body to glorify him, so how we treat it and view it reflects back to God.  We should not be ashamed of our bodies.   We may have produced children, so we carry extra “padding”.  Our age creeps up, so we go “south” a bit.  God created us to love, and that includes our own beings.  Not vanity, but to take care of ourselves.

So, enjoy the ice cream, maybe not as much, but show Glory to God in the sense of taste.  Go see the movie or visit the Grand Canyon, and glorify God through sight.  Maybe pass on the movie with the risqué scenes.  Enjoy the picnic with the family.  The running and jumping, maybe even swimming will be enjoyable as it glorifies God through touch, hearing, and smell.  (My husband always barbeques for a picnic, and the smell is wonderful!!)

And if someone should “suggest” how to lose weight to Mamma, just smile and reply, “You are beautiful too.”  Is there any better way to glorify God?