To expand on the lesson of Spirit, Soul, Body this will look at what the issues are with the body, both good and bad. Take a look at the chart to the right to remind yourself what consists of the body and how the body makes 1/3 of who we are and how we respond.
To begin with, why do we even have a body? God created a physical body because He created a physical universe. He created one with sound, sight, smell, taste, and feel. God loved His creation but His prize creation was mankind. He loved it so much He wanted it to experience the rest of creation in all of its glory. The earth was formless at first but then water, air, and dry ground appeared. Things would be able to not only sustain life but give it pleasure as well. From the ground came plants and animals for food and companionship. But even with all this one pleasure was missing---relationship, a physical relationship with the same bodily species. He created both male and female.
What kind of relationship can be built upon the body? The only one that can be achieved with the body is one that uses the body; a sensual, sexual, or erotic relationship. These are not to say this is wrong. There is perfection in a sexual relationship. The male body fits the female body and the female body fits the male body. God created this relationship and there is nothing wrong with having erotic feelings or to experience this pleasure. There are many ways we can experience this. But if all we do is have sexual relations with no other feelings then we can distort its purpose. People start to seek only sex. They try to get it any way they can. But God gave guidelines. Yes, people will disagree with this but it is the truth. Please see Types of love for further explanation. If this relation is the only type you have then you will be left empty and many times feel ashamed and that is because you are human. You are created with more than a body. You are higher than the plants and animals.
How does the body react to the world? There are only two ways, the body either learns how to fight or it turns to flight. Ever heard the quote, "think before you react"? That is a very truthful statement. If we do not think when a situation arises we may over react or freeze. That is called the fight or flight response. (Psychcentral.com) The article's first sentence is dead wrong but the rest is sound. We either panic and run or we have an adrenaline rush and fight. When an animal is cornered it does the same thing, but most will fight (picture snarling dog). If we do not think before we react and only use this instinct then we end up hurting people. We post on social media our break ups without feeling any consequence. We even lose our sanity and shoot up military recruiting stations (maniac, idiot).
How is the world enhanced for the body? We try to create textures and scents. We play music and create paintings. We take medication and vitamins. We buy and sell items that make us feel better. There is nothing wrong with any of these. These were made for our pleasure. But people take this and create fantasy worlds. These things become outlets for anger which is better than the alternative but it creates dark and hurtful places in our lives. When all we do is escape the world, we never truly escape our pain. This is why alcohol and other drug usage is so rampant. It is the only way we can kill the pain. People who don't use drugs turn to other ways like tattooing and cutting. To quote a heart wrenching song: "Though I don't want to die. But the only anesthetic that makes me feel anything kills inside", so the person ends up cutting herself. When all we do is try to make ourselves feel better then we end up feeling useless and without purpose. But we are human. We have both.
What is the result? This is the most important part about understanding the body. We are more than just desirable flesh. This is why women feel disrespected when men only think of their body as attractive. They want to be seen as more, someone with a mind and a purpose. Women who cheat do so because they are treated by other men with more purpose and who listen to their thoughts (they are more sensitive to their feelings). Men also believe it or not want to feel more than just a body. They want to protect and feel appreciated. Most men who cheat do so because they feel under appreciated. Both sexes feel an emptiness longing to be filled. However the easiest way to fill a loss is with the body so we do it trying to fill the emptiness. It's at this point we hurt the most because the sexual, fantasy, reactive part of us is not enough.
We are human. Having a body is part of us and we should not ignore it. We are built for pleasure and to please. But there are guidelines and standards that God gave us to get the best out of the pleasures. Mankind though thinks they know better and creates their own standards and distorts the idea of Paradise. And we wonder why the world is the way it is.
You are important. You have a purpose. You are more than just beauty on the outside. You have a soul. And even more importantly, you have a spirit. Use it.
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