Perhaps the previous suggestion to lie flat in body-dedication sounds strange to you. You might wonder, Can’t I just think about doing it instead of going through this exercise? If your desire is to retrain your body, you need to employ your body in the exercise. You may want to go back and rehearse your strongest and most frequent feelings in the mirror to see how your body responds to those feelings within you before doing this.
TODAY’S EXPERIMENT - As you lay your body down on the floor as on an altar before God, quiet yourself. Perhaps start with your eyes. Ask God to take charge of your eyes and to fill them with his life and use them for his purposes. Perhaps you want to ask God to keep your eyes from expressions of disgust or terror. Then, ask God to show you what it would look like to offer love with your eyes: to impart compassion with your eyes, to reveal purpose with your eyes.
Do the same with other parts of your body such as your eyebrows and mouth, your shoulders, and your hands. What tilt of your head or position of your arms embodies love, compassion, or purpose? In the future, as you read the Gospels, notice Jesus’ bodily positions. What did he do with his hands? When and with whom did he squat? At what persons did he gaze? Use these questions to admire how Jesus offered love and purpose in his body.
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