Fitness for His Temple
I think I found muscles in places I never knew existed.
At least, that’s how it feels after freezing my gym membership for way too long! So after much neglect on the exercise front, I’ve made my way back through the doors of the studio this month and I am slowly, slowly building back my fitness.
The trouble is I do one class, say a conditioning class, and although I keep the weights nice and light, I have trouble moving the next day, ha, ha, so I’m cutting myself some slack, and going every other day.
Yesterday, I did a class that was focused on stretching and flexibility. Some easy elongating of the muscles I thought, it almost sounded relaxing. How wrong could I be? I ended up stretching parts that I really don’t think were meant to be stretched 8O
So today, as I felt every crick and creak, it got me thinking about these ‘earthen vessels’ of ours, and in particular, God’s purpose for our bodies.
I’ve heard a lot about being a ‘good steward’ of our bodies and our physical health as best we can, as this is honouring to God of the gift He’s given us, and in the natural scheme of things, it gives us the best possible chance of longevity should that be God’s will for us. This makes sense to me, and I’m committed to working at my fitness as I am able to, even if it is a lot harder than it was ten years ago ;).
But I guess I like checking in with my heart from time to time to make sure this focus is along these lines, and also, that it doesn’t absorb too much of my time. There have been times when I’ve been really focused on my fitness, that I find myself wondering what the fruit would be if I spent as much time with God, as I did on the treadmill. The same can be said of anything we invest our time in I guess. It comes back to the whole thing of balance, I suppose.
But this one verse in 1 Corinthians gives me such helpful perspective when it comes to finding this balance regarding physical fitness. It’s verse 3:16 and it says, ‘Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you?’
What an incredible thought. That the Spirit of God comes and lives within our physical bodies. That as we make Jesus Lord, and invite His Spirit into our hearts, He indwells us, living out His purposes through our spirits, and souls and through our physical bodies.
But for me, it gives such clarity about the purpose of my physical body in God’s eyes, and therefore the priority it should have in my life. It is God’s temple, a house of flesh and bone for His Spirit, Who is alive within me. It is right and good that I steward it I believe, but may it not be so much about the vessel, as it is His Kingdom alive within.
Hi Brigit,
Yes, it is amazing to think that our bodies house the Holy Spirit. 1 Cor 3:16 refers to the fact that the Holy Spirit living in us makes our bodies sacred. Physical fitness has nothing to do with this sacredness. That does not mean that physical fitness is unholy or a waste of time but that poor people, for example, who can’t choose the food they eat, let alone, whether or not they exercise, have sacred bodies just as much as anyone filled with the Holy Spirit does. Good on you for thinking about both and looking after both; we are so blessed that we can.
Hi Carol, Thanks for your reply and what good points you raise here. It’s so important to know that the sacredness of our bodies comes from the indwelling of His Spirit, rather than from any external effort on our part, what a gift and what freedom. It’s such an incredible, awesome thing that He would come and make His home within us, wow. Bless you, Carol.
Hi Birgit, I’m impressed by how quickly you’ve gotten this going in the dead of winter :) I really feel and agree with you that we have a responsibility to take care of our bodies in this sense as much as we are able to and is reasonable. I think it is often a neglected discipline in terms of stewardship, but the truth is if we take care of our bodies in this way we will probably be able to do more for our families and friends and for God even because we feel better and have more energy. Maybe it sounds like I am giving too much credit to exercise but I know I get depressed if I don’t exercise (I guess I need the happy hormones– although chocolate can give that too;) I only speak about keeping our bodies healthy, not at all about being obsessive about exercise. And finally exercise can be a form of worship too, I love listening to worship music while I exercise and just meditating on God. Heh, forgive my little rant, I feel quite passionate about this :) Good post!
Thanks Rain! :) Yes, I remember telling you how slack I was feeling after letting my routine slide – eek – so thank you for your encouragement, ha, ha. Exercise really makes a difference, doesn’t it? I know what you mean about feeling low without it, I was surprised by the general lethargy that creeps in too after a while. Exercise really boosts my energy levels.
I love your point about worship during exercise too. Like you, I love listening to worship music on my IPod during a workout. It’s definitely the thing I enjoy most about the treadmill, ha, ha.
And feel free to say as much as you like, I am passionate about health and fitness too :) Bless you xo
Birgit I can relate to this post (as usual). Just today I was telling someone that I really have to start taking better care of myself. I really could stand improvement in the eating healthy department. Thanks for the little push and confirmation.
Here’s a secret: There’s this advanced step class that I used to do religiously 3 years ago, but I haven’t done a step class since… Now that I’m back I’m dying to do it again but I’m scared I’ve lost all coordination and too embarrassed to try! Haha, how sad ;)
That’s great, Hope, it’s amazing how the little improvements make such a big difference I find. Yes, healthy eating is another big area, good on you for looking at ways to take of your health :)
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Go for it, Rain, you’ll love it, I’m sure! You’ll probably surprise yourself at how easy it is to pick up where you left off! You know how much I love Step too, I just did a class yesterday and almost collapsed in a heap at the end, it was so full on, but what a great workout! Have fun if you go ahead with it, and let me know how it goes :)
Thanks for the encouragement and the little push :) I went saturday morning, it was really fun and really funny. Halfway through the class I had no clue where we were and was never able to catch up so I just stood there grinning foolishly while everyone danced around their steps like divas :) I couldn’t remember it ever being that fast or complicated! But the first half was a good workout anyway, my heart rate was through the roof. The instructor said I should keep coming and I’ll get it again. Haha! I hope so :)
That’s so great, Rain, good on you! :) It’s sounds like you had fun, and got a good work out too, which is great! Yeah, the choreography part can lose me too if it gets too complicated. I often think it’s as much of a work out for the mind just keeping up, ha, ha. So glad you had a good time though, and the instructor encouraged you back again :)