I Am A Blueberry Pie

Humor In Chaos

Searching for Joy Series

I Am A Blueberry Pie

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 tells us specifically that we are temples of the Holy Spirit. My body is a temple for the Lord.

What are temples? Places of worship. Holy ground. Where we get close to God as His people, as one body.

When I read about the building of the first temple built by King Solomon, I try to imagine the grandeur of it. They chose the best builders and crafters to work with the best materials. Only the best for God.

Churches and cathedrals are built in much the same way. Only the best for God.

I remember as a kid, I was required to dress up for church. As a society, we don’t do that as much anymore. We have gotten quite slack in our dress code. I know I am going to sound old-fashioned, but I don’t like it. I think we have forgotten the fact that we are walking temples, and God deserves only the best of us.

The more I do to improve myself, the more I am giving to God because He is dwelling within me, so long as He is my motivation. Personal growth spurs joy.

My sister used to tell me this all the time when I was going through a period of depression. She used to try and motivate me to spend more time working on my physical self to get me out of my emotional slump. She was right. Partly right. She missed other areas.

I learned through my life coach that personal growth covers more than physical appearance. He got me into a program called PIES spearheaded by Marriage Helper International’s CEO, Kimberly Beam Holmes through her podcast, “It All Starts with Attraction.”

Kimberly Holmes breaks down personal growth into four areas that spells out the word PIES. Like a delicious blueberry pie. Physical, Intellectual, Emotional, and Spiritual.

As per her instructions, I kept a monthly journal keeping track of what I did in each area and where I had break through growth at the end of every day. At the end of each month, I evaluated the previous month and set new PIES goals. Three years later as I am writing this, I still do PIES every day and take stock of my growth every month. PIES changed my life!

Since I was still recovering from an intense lupus flare and back surgery, I started off cautious on the physical. I mostly walk. I don’t do much other exercises because my body does have problems I have to keep in mind. However, I walk a lot. And I try to eat healthy foods like fresh fruits and vegetables. I love summer when the best fresh foods are in season.

Physical growth is also about me learning to listen to my body to care for it as it needs to be cared for, not to match it up to another person or some model form. Physical attraction is really about being as healthy as possible.

For intellectual, I started off getting back into reading books. I got back into writing, as I am doing now, and I set specific topics for me to learn. I started off by learning about neuro-plasticity and the psychology of happiness. I added onto it leadership and relationship skills. I started learning American Sign Language but my lupus arthritis put a stop to that. I see some signs that continued learning long past school years is becoming a more valued personality trait.

For Emotional growth, I did all that journaling I wrote about in previous chapters. I like to listen to podcasts during my walks, but I like to break them up with quiet time. I find the more I am content with quiet time with myself, for meditation, for listening for God to direct me, or just to be alone with my own thoughts or no thoughts at all; the more joyful I am in myself.

I realized that on a walk one day. I was listening to a podcast on my phone. I didn’t realize that the night before, my phone didn’t charge up. My phone died halfway through my walk. I had to walk the rest of the way home in silence. That day was a good day. I walked almost five miles. Over two miles were just me and my thoughts and the birds and the buzzing bugs. It didn’t take me long to realize I had grown at some point and I actually liked being alone with – me. Just me. Being open to God if He wanted to point me in a direction. Open to the sounds of the birds around me and the whistle of the breeze in the leaves. I let the warmth of the sun soak in through my clothes and my hat. The world around me was at peace.

That was the first moment I felt joy was possible since my ex walked out the door. I don’t remember who said it first, but I read a quote about how true happiness is found in people who are content with the mundane aspects of life. Something like that. It was on that walk when I learned that was true. There is beauty in the quiet mundane. Self is found there.

The Spiritual part of PIES was the most rewarding and most challenging. I devoted all of that to God and the Church. I practically moved in. Mass, Bible studies at Church and at home, the Rosary, prayers, more prayers, lots of tears, lots of begging God for help, and just sitting and listening for God. I spent so much time in Church crying, people were worried. Hopefully, they have seen a turn-around in me. I still attend regularly, but I don’t live there anymore.

Joy needs a solid place to call home. If I want joy to reside in my being, I need to offer it a healthy being. Joy is the reward for personal growth.

When does the need for personal growth come to an end? When is it fulfilled enough for joy to take permanent root?

When we pass on to the next world, in heaven, where we will spend eternity in joy worshipping and praising God with all our loved ones who chose to be there too. While here on earth, personal growth never stops. If I am not growing myself, I am internally dying. There is no simply maintaining.

I’m sorry, you perfectionists out there in the world. There is no perfect joy on earth for us humans. There is always room to grow within.

We are temples. We are vessels created to contain the Holy Spirit inside us and take it with us into the world to live it and share it. What joy!

Temples, churches, buildings, require maintenance. They also require improvements, repairs, remodeling at times, too. They need to be dusted, vacuumed, and inspected for infestations. They need their windows washed, their linens laundered, and their floors scrubbed. They need to be decorated for special events.

The bell needs securing. The books need refurbishing. The piano needs a tune-up every so many months.

We are temples. We need all of that, too, for ourselves.

Be a temple unto the Lord. Grow in that consciousness. Take a look in the mirror in that mindset. What do you see?

You should see beauty, strength, vitality waiting to burst forth into the world. Scrub it. Polish it. Make it shine, in all areas. Physically, intellectually, emotionally, and spiritually.

When I did that, not only did I see myself differently, I saw other people differently, too. I found myself more patient, understanding, and prayerful for them. I wanted to pray for others more, not out of some sense of pity, but out of joy.

My body is a beautiful thing. It’s a temple. Treat it as one.

Thanks for reading! Stay tuned for more!

Sarah

Humor In Chaos

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