Spirit vs. Body - Who's In Control?
The spirit and the body, together, make up the human soul. Our spirit is of heavenly origin,our body, earthly. (D&C 88:15)
This dichotomy of origin creates a constant battle for mastery, for control, and will continue to do so until our “two selves” are fully reconciled at the time of resurrection.
“Man’s earthly existence is but a test as to whether he will concentrate his efforts, his mind, his soul, upon things which contribute to the comfort and gratification of his physical nature, or whether he will make as his life’s [purpose] the acquisition of spiritual qualities.” (McKay, David O, as quoted in Ballard, Russell M., Giving Our Spirits Control over Our Bodies (churchofjesuschrist.org)).
Every choice we make represents a leaning toward one or the other - the earthly self or the heavenly. If we lean enough times in the same direction, it becomes our true north. Our true desires begin to be evident.
If you’ve ever tried to get an out of shape body back into shape, you know it takes a lot of work, a lot of repetition, and a lot of discipline. And yet, sometimes we expect our spirits to grow and mature without any effort on our part.
Mastery of spirit over body is one reason why members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints follow a code of health, often referred to as the Word of Wisdom. (You might know it best as the restriction against drinking alcohol and coffee, among other things.) Each time we turn away from something that is harmful to our bodies, we exercise our spirits, growing stronger by the repetition. It’s like push ups for the soul!
One of my favorite authors, Tad Callister, wrote this about Jesus Christ: “Every moment of every day his godly attributes were etching themselves on his outer shell.” (The Infinite Atonement)
The strength of Christ’s spirit manifested itself outwardly in his body. His eyes, full of love for the sinner. His hands, touching the untouchables. His feet, walking miles of dusty roads to reach one person who needed Him. He leaned so often (constantly, actually) in the direction of His Father, that the Father could be seen in His face. (John 14:9)
Our inner leanings can also manifest themselves on our outer shell. You can often tell by looking at someone whether their spirit or their body has the upper hand - think of a grandmother with bright eyes and a lifetime of smile lines on her face, or the prematurely aged skin caused by years of addiction to cigarettes.
Our spirits and our bodies are not enemies. They are meant to be together, and will be forever someday. However, we do have to learn to master our bodily appetites. If we cannot demonstrate the spiritual control necessary to tame our bodily appetites, we will never have the spiritual capacity to live our full potential as instruments in God’s hands.
So, we practice. We practice on the little things so we can do big things.
