“3: My Foundation: Our Bodies Are a Gift from God,” Finding Strength in the Lord: Emotional Resilience (2020)
“3: My Foundation: Our Bodies Are a Gift from God,” Finding Strength in the Lord: Emotional Resilience
My Foundation: Our Bodies Are a Gift from God—Maximum Time: 20 Minutes
Ponder:
What blessings have you received from having a body?
Watch:
“God’s Greatest Creation,” available at https://churchofjesuschrist.org/study/video/self-reliance-videos [2:51]. (No video? Read the transcript for “God’s Greatest Creation.”)
God’s Greatest Creation
If you are unable to watch the video, read this script.
President Russell M. Nelson:
Anyone who studies the workings of the human body has surely “seen God moving in his majesty and power” [Doctrine and Covenants 88:47].
Each eye has an autofocusing lens. Nerves and muscles control two eyes to make a single three-dimensional image. Each ear is connected to compact equipment designed to convert sound waves into audible tones.
Your heart is an incredible pump. It has four delicate valves that open and close more than 100,000 times a day. Think of the body’s defense system. It perceives pain. It generates antibodies. The body renews its own outdated cells and regulates the levels of its own vital ingredients.
The many amazing attributes of your body attest to your own “divine nature” [2 Peter 1:4]. The Apostle Paul described it as a “temple of God” [1 Corinthians 3:16]. How could this be? Because your body is the temple for your spirit. And how you use your body affects your spirit. God is the Father of our spirits. We are part of His divine purpose. And when He created us physically, we were created in the image of God.
Development of the spirit is of eternal consequence. When we truly know our divine nature, then we will control our appetites. We will focus our eyes on sights, our ears on sounds, and our minds on thoughts that are a credit to our physical creation as a temple of our Father in Heaven. For these physical gifts, thanks be to God!
Discuss:
How does having a physical body prepare us to become like our Heavenly Father?
Read:
The following statements by Church leaders:
“Because a physical body is so central to the Father’s plan of happiness and our spiritual development, Lucifer seeks to frustrate our progression by tempting us to use our bodies improperly” (David A. Bednar, “Watchful unto Prayer Continually,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2019, 34).
“Your ultimate safety in this life lies in never taking the first enticing step toward going where you should not go and doing what you should not do. … [As human beings we have physical appetites necessary for our survival.] These appetites are absolutely essential for the perpetuation of life. So, what does the adversary do? … He attacks us through our appetites. He tempts us to eat things we should not eat, to drink things we should not drink, and to love as we should not love!” (Russell M. Nelson, in “Advice from the Prophet of the Church to Millennials Living in a Hectic World,” Feb. 18, 2018, newsroom.ChurchofJesusChrist.org).
Discuss:
How can mistreating our body affect our emotional resilience?
Read:
The scripture passages:
“The soul shall be restored to the body, and the body to the soul; yea, and every limb and joint shall be restored to its body; yea, even a hair of the head shall not be lost; but all things shall be restored to their proper and perfect frame” (Alma 40:23).
“And [Jesus Christ] shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people. … And he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities” (Alma 7:11–12).
Discuss:
How can Jesus Christ strengthen us to endure well or even overcome any physical limitation we may have?
Commit:
I will choose one way I will better treat my body like a temple.