Body, Mind, and Soul Inventory

A nice, big, thick potato

I attended a wedding recently, and when I saw the pictures of myself on Facebook, I was floored.

Mercy! What had happened to me? It wasn’t my mother staring back at me, it was my grandma! My face showed the wear of my experiences, but it was my body shape that made me gasp in horror. My hourglass figure had turned into a potato!

How did it happen?

One unexercised pound at a time– one careless empty calorie smothered in fat grams after another– I had turned into a blob.

I know what to do about my figure:

-eat less and move more

-cut back on portions and consume more green food

-quit scarfing down king-sized chocolate bars cut into little pieces so they don’t seem so gluttonous.

(Who did I think I was fooling with that trick?)

As I gave my body a thorough inspection, I began to wonder what else had slipped. If I was slacking in one area, like my shape, I had to consider that I was negligent in other areas, too—such as my mind and spirit.

Take Inventory

I needed to take an inventory, so I asked myself:

• Am I praying with the fervency I used to?
• Do I stick my nose in the Bible regularly?
• Do I make time for myself to hear from God?
• Am I alert for opportunities to demonstrate God’s love?
• Do I share my God moments with others?
• Do I make eye contact with people I love while conversing?
• Do I read books and blogs as much as I watch television?
• Am I consumed with Netflix or Candy Crush or Facebook at the expense of a good night’s rest?
• Am I ignoring a call or mission or a project that I’m supposed to be pursuing?

Just as I knew what to do about my potato body, I knew what to do about my potato mind and soul. I strategized a plan and got to work.

I would:

1. Establish morning quiet time.
2. Read a chapter of the Bible a day.
3. Drink more water than Pepsi.
4. Stop eating like Ms. Pac-Man.
5. Give up my volunteer part-time job of television binge viewing.
6. Write something most days.
7. Call my loved ones more often.
8. Read at least one book a month.

Is it time for you to take an inventory and make some new declarations too?

Check the mirror…but not the one you think

Ask yourself those questions above and use my check list to see if you’re sleek or sloppy. The full-length mirror in the privacy of your home will tell you about your body shape.

Now it’s time to use a Holy-Spirit-length mirror to tell you about your heart and soul. Even a little change makes a big difference.

Leave me a comment about how the Holy Spirit has lovingly challenged you to stop and check this week. I know I’m not the only one!

Verse: “Do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness.” —Romans 6:12–13

Prayer: Heavenly Father, help me to be self-controlled about the things that distract and deter me from all the good things you offer. Teach me balance and help me make healthy choices for my body, mind, and spirit. Amen.