Exercise. Do you feel the pressure to over-exercise in order to achieve society’s vision of a perfect body or to experience euphoria? Or do you under-exercise and end up sitting so long in front of a screen that your body begins to be shaped more like your chair or bed than a durable human? What are the effects to your eyes, mind, and relationships from hours of technology and immobility? Or, what is the fallout to being utterly consumed with working out?

The Truth about Fitness of your Body

• The idols of the nations are the work of men’s hands. For example, “smart” phones, as idols, can seem to have human-like features, but such man-made devices cannot discern, cannot delight, cannot create, cannot move, cannot explore and praise their maker, and cannot bring peace to your soul. But an active, worshipful human body can do all of those things. (Psalm 115:4-7; 135:15-17, Habakkuk 2:18-19)
• You can’t separate your spirit or emotions from your body. God made your body to be important to your being and to be treated with dignity. When your emotions are out of whack, your whole body needs care. Sometimes this means movement; sometimes this means stillness. (Proverbs 14:30, 1 Timothy 4:4)
• Your thought-life, spiritual well-being, and relationships can be as out of shape or as over-worked as your body. Get equally fit and rested in your mind, soul, and spirit. (1 Timothy 4:7)
• If you struggle with trauma or body image, a common response is to withdraw and avoid healthy activities such as exercise, responsible eating, and life-giving relationships. You might feel safer hiding behind extra pounds, dates with food, and binging on your favorite shows, but it won’t lead you to healing. Reconnect to healthy relationships and make both active and restful plans with safe people in order to be made whole again.
• Your body has a sacred role of glorifying the Lord, housing His Spirit, and to potentially one day blessing your spouse. You can think of engaging in the right amount of physical fitness as an act of worship and preparation for future marriage. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20; 7:4)
• Summertime can be a seasonal opportunity to redeem time sitting at a desk, slouched on a sofa, and isolated from people’s faces and nature’s paths. It can also be a time to slow down and calm your nerves. Even if you’re in school this summer, you still have the freedom to commit to pursuing greater overall fitness. Fling open the door and pull your embodied being outside into God’s creation, join a team of people on the go, or slow down and smell the roses, and discover the benefits to being physically healthy- head to toe, inside and out.

Prayer & Blessing

Diligence is man’s precious possession (Prov. 13:27) and the body is to be disciplined and brought under your control (1 Corinthians 9:27).