An Unexpected Offering By Karen Kay Smith

by Rachael Adams | Jul 15, 2021 | The Love Offering Guest Blog Series

Karen Smith

Miriam Webster Dictionary defines offering as…

–the act of one who offers

–something offered, especially a sacrifice ceremonial offered as part of worship

–a contribution to support the church

A tithe is when we give money to the church. We are told in Scripture that a tithe is to be 10% of our income. A tithe is more of a recognition of acknowledging His blessing in your life.

Therefore, a tithe and an offering are different. One might put an offering in an offering plate as it is passed in church; however, more often than not, that is where we place our tithes.

Offerings are something more. They are something special. Sometimes we might find an offering to God in an unexpected place. Yes, God has prompted my heart to bless a family in need financially or offer dinner deliveries to a struggling friend. God has called me to give extra to support missions at various times. However, I never expected my body to be an offering to God. My actions, yes. My money, yes. My body? No.

Loving our bodies can be an act of worship. It is an offering that we can give to our Father.

God used Psalm 26:1 to speak loud in my ears one day. “I love your sanctuary, Lord, the place where your glorious presence dwells.”

As a believer, the Holy Spirit resides in me. I am His sanctuary. Do I love His sanctuary? Ouch! That thought hurts. More often than not, I criticize my body for the way it looks, I run from here to there to everywhere, giving my body as little sleep as possible, and I frequently feed myself unhealthy foods, or I feed everyone else but myself.

Caring for our bodies often comes last on our to-do lists as busy wives and moms. What would happen if we looked at ourselves differently? What if we offered the care of our body to Jesus as an offering? How would that change the way we treat and talk about our bodies?

Instead of criticizing the shape of my hips, what if I offered gratitude that those hips carried three babies around and gave him an offering of praise for the body He created?

Instead of feeling guilty about sitting down for ten minutes of quiet, what if I offer that ten minutes of quiet time to the Lord for Him to speak to my heart?

Instead of binging unhealthy food or restricting much-needed food, what if I feed my body in a way that pleases God? What if I turn mealtime into an offering of myself to Him? Father, I am providing for my body so that I can serve you.

When we change the way we view how we care for our bodies, all of a sudden, it goes from being last on the to-do list to first.

Our bodies can become an unexpected love offering to God.

Not only that, we learn to love this body because it is the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit.

I don’t know about you, but I believe if I learn to offer my body as a living sacrifice to Christ, everything about how I care for myself will change. The thoughts I think about myself are going to be radically different. My actions in caring for my body will change. My heart for Jesus will change as I give Him an unexpected offering.

Do you love His sanctuary?

About Karen:

Karen lives in Madison, Alabama with her husband and three children. Karen graduated in 1996 from Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, AR. Karen has served as Preschool and Children’s Pastor and has been involved in women’s ministry for many years leading small groups, making hospital visits, organizing retreats, and encouraging the hearts of women. Karen is the author of Nearsighted Choosing to See Eating Disorders Differently, and she blogs at www.karenkaysmith.com. What started out as communicating medical facts, has become a place where Karen takes you from struggles to faith and uses life experiences to empower others to live life transformed. Karen is a regular contributor for A Wife Like Me, a website dedicated to encouraging wives in their marriages. Karen has two invitations published in the book Dear Wife. Karen has a testimonial published in the book Homeschooling You Can Do It by Kirsten McTernan. She also has a Bible study published in Memoirs of a Headcase: Held by the God of Hope by Jacqueline Roe. She is also featured in Sweet Tea for the Soul Comforting, Real-Life Stories for Moms.