We are embodied beings. In a culture that focuses so much on our intellect and what our brains produce (be it ideas, products, designs, writing, etc.), we have to be intentional about connecting our brains to our bodies and connecting our bodies to the world around us.
So God created mankind in his own image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.
God saw all that he had made, and it was very good (Gen. 1:27, 31a).
God created our whole being with intentionality and called it good (Gen. 1:26-31). The idea that our minds are battling our evil bodies does not come from the Lord; its a heretical philosophy older than the church. (It’s called Gnosticism if anyone is interested.) Living into the good life God has for us means embracing our bodies as part of the created good that is being human. Our bodies allow us to interact with the good of the world around us – feeling the love someone has for us through a hug, feeling the peace of sunshine and a soft breeze on our faces, feeling the delight and satisfaction of a delicious meal. Without connection to our bodies, we are missing out on part of what it means to be human.
It is also true that connecting to our bodies means connecting to some of the pain of being human. On this side of the fall and of the coming return of Christ, living into an embodied life comes with pain and suffering. We experience small pains like hunger, soreness, and aging every day, but we can also experience sickness, chronic pain, starvation, trauma, and pandemics. Allowing ourselves to listen to the messages our bodies are sending us opens us up to both good and bad experiences of humanity. But, to not feel anything at all is to live outside the good and beautiful ways of the Lord.
I won’t say I’m an expert on this topic. If anything, my story and experiences should disqualify me from writing about embodiment. I was the poster child for disembodied, disconnected living. I ignored pain, exhaustion, hunger, and emotions in order to do and produce more. But by the grace and redemption of the Lord, I am on a journey of healing and restoration to wholeness. So, this is an invitation to join me on a pilgrimage into the depths of our being to discover the good and beautiful life God has for us!
Living Embodied Lives 
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