A reaction to the objectification of bodies can turn into a backlash against bodies themselves. This is just a shell I’m going to leave behind one day, we think. But bodies are good, and we are infinitely more than instruments.

When my pastor-husband stands in front of our church at the end of each service on Sundays to give the benediction, he invites the congregation to stand and says, “Recognizing we are embodied souls, would you put out your hands to receive the benediction?” It’s a small gesture, but it’s a weekly reminder that what happens to the body, happens to the soul. We are whole humans—both body and soul are present and precious.

As we walk in the truth about our bodies, we must avoid two common pitfalls found in secular thinking: we are neither inconsequential evolved animals nor supernatural beings ourselves. We are children of God, couched in creation. We are embodied souls, formed by a grand and omnipotent God.

Our bodies are gifts designed by a good, sovereign, beauty-making God. We must care for, protect, and cherish each and every human body, each and every human life. Our conviction as children of God is that these lives are not our own, but belong—body and soul—to the Creator.

Life is a gift to steward, not manipulate, exploit, or dispose of as the world sees fit.

…things I’m thinking as I soak up time in creation amongst three generations… You can read more on this topic in Cultural Counterfeits.

(Originally posted on social media on June 1, 2022).