Today’s guest post is from author Kate Wicker and a keynote speaker at Behold 2012.  Registration is ongoing for the March 10 conference; visit the “Register” tab for more information.

“Be careful walking on the mulch,” I directed my daughters as we played in our yard.

“Why?” my 4-year-old asked.

“See, those little leaves poking out?” I said, pointing to a few tender green shoots protruding from the the thick layer of earthy mulch. “Well, they don’t look like much now, but in the spring they’ll be pretty flowers.”

I then showed the girls a picture of blossoming Black Eyed Susans. They oohed and ahhed.

“But what are they doing now?” an inquisitive little one asked.

I looked at the fragile plants that were scarcely noticeable and bore nothing but droopy leaves. They weren’t doing much, were they? I could see why my children didn’t understand why they should be prevented from traipsing along the yard oblivious to the sleepy plants that were so unassuming during the winter months.

Yet, I also knew that eventually the cold grayness would give way to a Technicolor spring. If they survived this cold, dormant period as well as my children’s tiny, scampering feet, they would blossom into bright beauties.

I love the spring. It’s especially romantic to dream about the season of renewal now when we’re all waiting for that last cold sigh of winter. I imagine the green grass, the effusion of color that the springtime brings, and the warmer days. Ahhhhh… (Of course, I live in the South and won’t pretend to know what a real, bitter winter feels like!)

But is there any less glory when the trees are stripped of their leaves and stand stark against the gray sky?

The naked tree, the latent flowers hiding in our front yard – these natural things are doing what they were designed to do and are without pretense or flamboyance honoring God. They don’t look like much now, but they’ll be beautiful in a few months’ time. They will glorify God then, too. As part of His creation, they never stop adoring Him.

Isn’t the same true of our bodies?

This past Sunday we heard 1 Corinthians 6:19-20. “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been purchased at a price. Therefore, glorify God in your body.”

Ask yourself: Do you think these verses mean we are only capable of giving glory when our bodies are in their top form?  Does glorifying God within our bodies require us to perfect our physique, tweak it, erase the signs of aging, get rid of cellulite, get implants, whittle away our love handles, or berate our bodies because maybe they have changed due to sickness, pregnancy, or age?

I don’t think so.

Any body – thin, plump, athletic, curvy, disfigured, flawless, scarred, blemished, saggy, perky – can glorify God. Sure, we have a responsibility to take care of them, to embrace purity and modesty, and to honor these temples of the Holy Spirit. But our bodies don’t have to be basking in a beautiful spring season to give God glory.

Maybe your own body is in a postpartum mushiness season. Or perhaps you’re in a post-I-ate-one-too-many-Christmas-cookies-season. Then again, maybe you’re feeling like spring, and you feel great inside and out. Whatever season we are in and however we look, we can begin honoring our Creator with our bodies simply by loving them – imperfections and all – and by recognizing that what makes us beautiful is that God dwells within us.

If my children and I can recognize the heavenliness of plants and trees in the deadness of winter and even appreciate a slimy slug we noticed sliding along outside, then surely we can see the God-given beauty in ourselves and our human brothers and sisters.

Nature is amazing, awe-inspiring. What those small green plants will become just with sunshine and rain is no small feat. The trees, whether their limbs are naked or clothed in green and flowering garland, look as if they are reaching to the heavens. Yet, none of these things were made in God’s image and likeness as we are.

Sometimes our bodies will blossom like the flowers and spring. Other times they will fail us because of disease. Or they’ll be marked with stretch marks because our wombs were given the gift of nurturing a new, precious soul. We may go through periods – I know I have – where we mistakenly believe we have to lose weight or adorn ourselves with flashy clothing to feel worthwhile. But the first step to glorifying God in your body is to accept it just as it is at this moment: A place where divine beauty resides. Every one of us has a body that gives glory to God simply because it belongs to one of his beloved daughters. Behold the body – the beauty – that is you.

-

Kate Wicker is a wife, mom, journalist, speaker, and author of Weightless: Making Peace with Your Body. When she’s not trying to keep her home one step ahead of a health hazard, she writes a health column for Catholic Digest and serves as a senior writer for Faith & Family LIVE! She’s thrilled to be a keynote speaker for the 2012 Behold Conference and is counting the days until March 10th. To learn more about Kate, her work, and her harried but happy life with littles, visit her website at KateWicker.com.