By KW
“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy, and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.” Romans 12:1 (NIV)
For so long, recovery and sexual purity (for me) was all about what not to do with my body. Don’t lust with my eyes. Don’t watch pornography. Don’t feel sexual feelings. It makes sense why I thought that, after all, sexual addiction is an act of worship of sex with my body — just not worship of God but of pleasure; I can’t worship God and sex at the same time. But Romans 12:1 seems to be instructing me on what to do with my body when it comes to worship. It’s showing me how in the same way I used my body to worship pleasure, I can use my body to worship God — with my words, meeting attendance, physical exercise, reading the Bible, journaling, acts of service, and yes, even my sexual sobriety. When I choose to not take a second glance, that recovery moment becomes my sacrifice to God. When I choose to resist the urge to watch porn and reach out for help, that recovery moment becomes my fragrant offering. When I choose not to shame myself for being created as a sexual being, but rather give thanks to God for redeeming my sexuality, that recovery moment becomes an act of worship.
Prayer: Today, with the help of the Holy Spirit, I will offer every part of myself to you, O Father, as an offering of gratitude, and I thank you that when I surrender my body to you, my recovery, more than a burdensome checklist, becomes an act of worship.