Instead I subdue my body and make it my slave, so that after preaching to others I myself will not be disqualified. (1 Corinthians 9:27)
Our family paddled a canoe in the Canadian wilderness. The lonely call of loons passed a primal connection to nature through our chests. Glaciers in the Caribou Mountains peeked over conifers to view their reflection in the Bowron Lakes. Best of all, coho salmon raced through the liquid universe beneath our boat.
After living three years in the Pacific Ocean, a drive for perpetuating life overtakes the coho. From the tidal Strait of Georgia, the silver heroes swim a thousand miles into mountain tributaries. By the time they passed under us, they were transformed into red for mating, and their bodies were battered from jumping up cascades. After releasing eggs and sperm in the shallows of their birth, the valiant cohos die, giving everything for the great exchange.
I want the attitude of a salmon. My body has a far greater purpose than comfort or temporary thrills. It was not given to me to spend on whatever feels good. It is to be nourished, but not idolized with obsessive fashions, or desperate healthcare. Using my body for earthly gain is sacrilege, akin to a salmon refusing to spawn so it won’t be injured.
The purpose of my body is to carry my spirit to the stream of eternal life, where I can make the great exchange. The sacrifice requires swimming against the world’s current. It’s a suicide mission, but what a glorious spending, and what a noble purpose, freely given for the praise of Jesus, only to share in his reward.
Prayer: Lord, I choose to exchange my body for life in you.