Whose Body Is It Anyway?

Pregnancy is a journey for every woman who has the pleasure of experiencing it. It’s a time when you realize the power God his gifted you in your body to do the miraculous: care for a life that is not your own through caring for your own life. The miracle of life in your womb truly reminds you that your life is not your own. Your body goes through so many changes just to make sure your child is safely protected to grow into a healthy one.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 says 19 Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore, honor God with your bodies.

This Scripture has come even more alive to me during this season of life. Pregnancy has stretched me mentally, spiritually, and physically. Prior to conceiving this time around, I had head knowledge of being knit in my mother’s womb by God and being made in His image, but I didn’t realize how much my life experiences had framed the way I view my temple.

Early on in pregnancy, in one of those super sweet baby apps, I read that our bodies were an apartment for our growing little ones. Initially, I swooned at the idea that my body would be the place that would house this little miracle for the next 40 weeks. But soon, that swooning turned into a little resentment. I wasn’t resentful of my baby, no, I was upset at my body.

For years, my body had become my enemy and I never viewed it as a blessing. Don’t get me in wrong, in my younger years I “loved” what I physically saw in the mirror. I enjoyed the attention I got once I realized I could use my body to get what I wanted. But as time went on, I engaged in sexual immorality and my body became a means to an end. Definitely not treated like a temple of the Holy Spirit. And when attempting to get pregnant resulted in two life-threatening ectopic pregnancies, being diagnosed with a brain tumor, and a whole litany of other health issues arose I started to despise the vessel I was given that was supposed to be the place where a miracle could be birthed. That was pretty far-fetched.

However, the faithfulness of God never lets us down. As each pregnancy milestone ticked by I became more and more impressed with what my body was capable of doing. Fear of not being able to conceive, carry, and deliver our child slowly was perfected into a divine appreciation of my temple. I had so many fears of gaining “too much” weight, not being attractive, or whatever other ridiculous thoughts that were blinding me to the beauty of what was happening. I was falling in love, in the right way, with my body.

I stopped obsessing over what could happen and began dwelling in what was happening. About halfway through my pregnancy, I decided that I wouldn’t allow anything to rob me of this moment. This moment that we prayed for, for so long. The moment that had increased my faith and the moment that my heart expanded not just for the new life growing inside of my body, but also for myself. For the first time in my life, I embraced the beauty of my body.

I didn’t expect this to happen, but I have never felt more beautiful in my life.

I know there are so many hormonal things that happen and factors that attribute to our physical appearances during pregnancy, but I really don’t care. I also know that each of our experiences are different for a reason and as much as I am excited about the new life I am carrying, I am also excited for the appreciation I have now gained for my body and what dwells here.

Also learning that beauty is not only skin deep, it’s soul deep. What you see on the outside is a direct reflection of what you allow to be deposited on the inside. I didn’t know it before, but I was abusing what was supposed to be holy before God. Not just by the way I sinned with my body but how I sinned in the way I viewed my body.

For me, pregnancy has been about so much newness in our lives. The miracle of new life inside my womb, a freshness in our love for each other, and a new perspective on our temples.

And, for that, I am grateful!

With All My Love,
Mrs. Truscott