The Temple

Let me paint a picture for you. Imagine a magnificent stone structure rising up in front of you. On either side of strong, olive wood doors are two elaborately carved columns. Upon entering this building, you are blinded by the glory of gold overlay on every surface. Intricately carved cherubim, palm trees and open flowers decorate all the walls, which are also overlaid with gold. As you continue walking to the back of this temple, you enter the inner sanctuary. There you are greeted by two carved cherubim of olive wood, 15 feet tall. Everything in the inner sanctuary, its walls, floor, ceiling and the alter, are overlaid with gold. Upon the alter, sits a box of acacia wood. The inside and outside are completely overlaid with gold. There are two poles on either side of the box that are resting inside rings, all golden. The cover for the box is pure gold in its entirety with two golden cherubim at each end. You marvel at its beauty and you know you are in the presence of something wonderful.

What I have described for you is the temple that the Lord instructed Solomon to construct for the Ark of the Covenant in 1 Kings 6 and the Ark of the Covenant itself as described in Exodus 25. It was a magnificent temple, carefully constructed as directed. Its interior sanctuary was the most holy place.

Now imagine another structure. You walk up to this decaying building and see moss covering the stone and weeds are growing up through the cracks. The foundation is cracked and crumbling. Carvings are missing from the once resplendent columns. The olive doors are gray with age and have slipped from their hinges. Upon entering, you are assaulted by a dank mustiness and your eyes must adjust to the darkness. Once you find your bearings, you see that the gold overlay on every surface is tarnished and cobwebs hang down in droves. You see rodents skulking about the shadows. You continue on through the building and come to a back room. It is dirty and decaying, with two large statues of cherubim standing that are in a sad state of disrepair. Suddenly, you see a glorious box of gold. The gold is shining, as if new. You can clearly see the carved cherubim at each end of the lid. It is immaculate, as if someone just placed it there.

Have you figured it out yet? The buildings described are one in the same. The first; new and clean, and the second; neglected, abandoned and dirty. The only thing that remains beautiful and constant is the Ark of the Covenant, unchanged in spite of the turmoil around it.

In 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, Paul tells the Corinthians that their "body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you...So you must honor God with your body." My temple, after years of neglect and mistreatment, is a spitting image of the second one I described. My goal is to return my temple to the glorious state that God's presence deserves. Lack of personal attention, excess weight and lack of care are the cobwebs, rodents and dirt of my temple. My foundation is cracked and I'm crying out for repairs.

My goal for my temple is to lose 60 lbs. by changing my lifestyle and to become an overall healthy person. I will not have unrealistic expectations of getting the walls shining after just a short time. I will peel back each layer of dirt before I attempt to tackle the next. If you've ever read about the cleaning and restoration of ancient works of art, including buildings, you know that the task is carried out carefully and with painstaking precision. The most mild of cleaners is used, so none of the handiwork is damaged in the effort. Replicas of missing components are made by skilled artisans using the methods that would have been practiced originally. I will be patient with myself and take one step at a time. I will not attempt to pressure wash the temple in a day. I will stumble and fall along the way and I will never be able to give Him the temple He deserves, but I will get as close as I can.

This blog will chronicle the physical journey I take as I clear out the temple and restore it to the image God meant for me to have. My reliance is totally on God as I am unable to accomplish this without His help. I will cry out to Him each morning and night, and probably before every meal and workout I do. If you are offended by my reliance on God, I do understand that you may not share my beliefs, but difference in beliefs not open for discussion. I'm sorry, but you can always look away and stop reading. I will not be discussing theology, either, as I'm not as educated in the Word as I should be (I am working on that) and would never be so arrogant as to pretend to know the answers. I'm more than happy to take advice, encouragement and criticism and engage in discussion regarding becoming a healthy person, though!

(For anyone wondering, I am cleaning out my inner sanctuary as well, but that is a personal spiritual journey that I will not blog about, unless it directly relates to my weight loss and fitness goals.)