Sometimes even animals don't know what's good for them. Cubs stray too far from their dens. Puppies trot out onto the highway. Kittens climb up trees they can't climb down.
Other animals seem to know what's coming, but they self-destruct just the same. Certain male bees get ripped open by the queen during mating. Male praying mantises are often eaten by their mates. Both Mother and Father Octopus look after their babies so diligently that some have neglected to feed themselves... and starved to death.
Why do we do things we know aren't good for us? Maybe you don't abuse drugs or drink alcohol or smoke cigarettes. Maybe your self-destructive behaviors aren't that obvious. You don't get enough sleep, or you eat too much or eat the wrong things. You feed your mind junk by watching TV night and day.
Do you cheat, lie, or refuse to ask for help? Do you hang on to bitterness and let it eat away at you? Or maybe you keep repeating the same destructive actions, like chasing after someone who keeps hurting you or getting in your teacher's face.
Take better care of yourself. You are extraordinarily valuable. You've been created by God, who didn't have to make you but chose to anyway. God has given you a purpose in on earth, Jesus would have gone through the Crucifixion and Resurrection just for you. that's how much he loves you.
God's Spirit lives inside you. You are God's temple. When you mistreat yourself, you're mistreating God. Do the things you know are good for you.
"Don't you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body." -- 1 CORINTHIANS 6:19-20
Wow, thanks, Mango. This is something that I need to remind myself of every day.
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