Your body is an amazing gift from God, and it came with
a responsibility to care for it according to His directions.
Bad Habit #1: A “Skinny” Mentality
I’ve always wanted to be thin - who doesn’t? But that was never motivating enough. I never pictured myself enjoying being “skinny” as much I pictured myself enjoying that chocolate cookie-dough shake I was craving. “Skinny” was a pipe-dream. Cookie-dough was just down the street!
If I got fired up about being skinny I’d find a “diet.” I was a teenager when I attempted my first diet. It was an "herbal plan” with prepackaged powders that you turned in chalky drinks. I certainly couldn’t eat that way forever, in fact I could only stand it for a few weeks.
I later jumped on the high-protein bandwagon. Diets that said, “Feast on steak but no fruit!” ABSOLUTELY NO GRAINS! Limited vegetables and so much meat that I started tasting blood in my mouth all day. Disgusting!!! Done. with. that.
I followed magazine plans with only a weeks worth of meals - Boring!
I tried calorie counting... restricting myself to 1200 calories a day because I was so impatient to get “skinny”... I was starving... I cracked... and went back to my old habits.
No plan to get “skinny” could ever keep me committed, and deep down I knew they weren’t sustainable or even natural. These diets were not how a body was supposed to be nourished. But then again, I wasn’t nourishing my body properly anyway, so why not swap one warped diet for another if it lead to “skinny,” right? :{
I had to change my thinking. That’s where my real change began.
As a teenager I received these words of counsel...
"Now, we have been given a revelation called the Word of Wisdom. I bless you that you will understand fully the principles that are included in that revelation. That you will never take into your body anything that will be a detriment to your having a clear mind and a healthy body for you will need all the faculties you posses to perform well the responsibilities that will be given to you. The Word of Wisdom is so important in this day and age. You were given a healthy body by your Heavenly Father, and He expects you to return that body in the same good condition that you received it."
This counsel baffled me. The Word of Wisdom said no alcohol, no smoking, no drugs, no coffee & tea. This is NOT a problem for me! I wasn't remotely tempted to do those things. I even avoided over-the-counter-drugs like pain killers and cold medicines. I’ve never even finished a bottle of prescription meds that I was given after my c-sections. Why would I need this counsel about the Word of Wisdom?
And what did it mean to "understand fully the principles that are included in that revelation?" Could there be more to the Word of Wisdom than the "No's?" Could God, the very architect of this human body, actually help me understand how to take care of it? Well, there's a novel idea! And could I find the power to turn this long-time weakness into a strength?
Pres. Packer said “True doctrine, understood, changes attitudes and behavior. The study of the doctrines of the gospel will improve behavior quicker than a study of behavior will improve behavior.”
My behavior needed changing. Then, what is the doctrine?
You’re about to read a small portion of the information I’ve studied. It may seem lengthy, but it’s well worth your time to read it slowly and thoughtfully.
This Body is a Gift from God:
- "What creation is more magnificent than the human body? What a wondrous thing it is as the crowning work of the Almighty. " - Pres. Gordon B. Hinckley
- "The human body is an eternal creation of the Lord. Before coming to earth we knew that our bodies would be priceless gifts, and we longed for the time when this blessing would be given to us. When we care for our bodies well, we are better able to serve our fellowmen. Good care of this gift show our gratitude to the Lord for the opportunity he has given us to progress." - Relief Society Study Guide 2
- “Know ye not that ye are the atemple of God, and that the bSpirit of God dwelleth cin you? If any man adefile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is bholy, which temple ye are.” - 1 Corinthians 3:16-17
We have a Sacred Responsibility to Care for Our Bodies:
- "The Word of Wisdom is a law - a principle with promise. If we obey the provisions of the law, we receive the promises. If we do not, there will be both temporal and spiritual consequences." - Pres. Ezra Taft Bensen, 1983
- "The healthy man, who takes care of his physical being, has strength and vitality; his temple is a fit place for his spirit to reside…Bodily ailments deprive us of the full exercise of our faculties and privileges and sometimes of life itself. It is necessary, therefore, to care for our physical bodies, and to observe the laws of physical health and happiness" - Pres. David O. McKay
- "As women, our physical well-being is vital to the well-being of many other lives. To those blessed to be able to bear children, the health of the mother is extremely important as it provides a healthful environment for the prenatal growth of the child. Genetic endowment is also affected by the daily health practices of the mother. Bearing children, supporting a husband effectively, and managing a home require great expenditures of energy, so good health is very important." - Relief Society Study Guide 2
- "Our attitudes and practices will become those of our husbands and children. It is important for us to set good examples, especially for our children, so they can grow and mature while following good health practices… Cultivating good health not only blesses our families; it also increases our ability to give service to others, to the church and to our communities. Countless lives are blessed when a sister lives wisely." - Relief Society Study Guide 2
"Because a physical body is so central to the Father’s plan of happiness and our spiritual development, we should not be surprised that Lucifer seeks to frustrate our progression by tempting us to use our bodies improperly. One of the ultimate ironies of eternity is that the adversary, who is miserable precisely because he has no physical body, invites and entices us to share in his misery through the improper use of our bodies. The very tool he does not have and cannot use is thus the primary target of his attempts to lure us to physical and spiritual destruction.
When any of Heavenly Father’s children misuse their physical tabernacles by violating the law of chastity, by using drugs and addictive substances, by disfiguring or defacing themselves, or by worshipping the false idol of body image, whether their own or that of others, Satan is delighted. To those of us who know and understand the plan of salvation, any defiling of the body is rebellion and a denial of our true identity as sons and daughters of God.
Now brothers and sisters, I cannot tell you all the ways whereby you may misuse your bodies, “for there are divers ways and means, even so many that I cannot number them” (Mosiah 4:29). You know what is right and what is wrong, and you have the individual responsibility to learn for yourself “by study and also by faith” (D&C 88:118) the things you should and should not do and the doctrinal reasons why you should and should not do those things. I testify that as you desire to so learn, as you “watch yourselves, and your thoughts, and your words, and your deeds, and observe the commandments of God, and continue in the faith of what ye have heard concerning the coming of our Lord, even unto the end of your lives” (Mosiah 4:30), you will be spiritually enlightened and protected. And according to your faithfulness and diligence, you will have the power to discern the deception and repel the attacks of the adversary as he tempts you to misuse your physical body." -Elder David A. Bednar, CES Fireside, Things as They Really Are
The Lord has Always Instructed His Children on the Care of Their Bodies and the Blessings of Proper Care:
The Lord first instructed Adam and Eve about what they should eat.
Genesis 2:15-17 . Then through Moses, He gave what has become the “Kosher” Law is in Leviticus Chapter 11. But the places where I found the most insight were as follows:
The story of Daniel and his obedience to the Lords Law of Health:
The Word of Wisdom:
LDS.org Website
I’m not going to spell out everything that I learned in these scriptures, and I’ll tell you why; I’m convinced that it's only through your own personal study of this doctrine, that you access the instruction of the Holy Spirit, and the power to follow that instruction. Then you can experience what's described in Ether.
“And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.” - Ether 12:27
I have a study journal of this topic and I encourage you to do the same. Write down quotes and scriptures that touch your heart, and those things you feel prompted to do as you study with faith.
Pray for strength and insight, because that power is real, and you have access to it.
You should expect to grow line upon line and precept upon precept. Understand that learning and change take time, so be patient with yourself, and try to face each day with an attitude of love for the body God gave you. Your body is your greatest gift, and you deserve to enjoy the blessings of it in their fullest!
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