God and Health

A number of years a local tv station wanted to determine who had the best fried chicken in the area. For judges they figured who better than some local ministers. While on the one hand this TV segment was funny, as I look back it was also kind of sad. Why is that when it comes to judging a food contest that a local minister would be at the top of the list? Why do so many Christians have such close associations with eating? Why do Southern Baptist in particular have so many jokes about eating?

I am the first one to say that I have not always eaten like I should or take care of my body the way that I should. In the past though when I have looked to change this it had more to do with what I had learned in school or in society about how I should look or what I should be doing. Over the last year or so I have begin to truly see the spiritual component of exercise and good health.

Over the last year I have been running with my oldest. In fact, this past summer he ran his first two 5ks. As our practice runs would get longer I started to see in him much of the same attitude I had about wanting to stop or not work as hard as I could during practice. I did not want him to fall in to the same traps and failures I had fallen in to so I had to find a way to break this cycle and what I found was God. I told Aiden that when we go for a run that there are always three of us and that when a run gets tough that we need to remember that God is there to help us. This thinking lead me to realize that I needed to do whatever I could to make sure that God was always a part of my exercising. One of the things this meant for me was play Christian music when I was doing my other exercise routines. It also meant not doing some because they were too closely related to the spiritual roots of yoga.

In the end I have not been as consistent with my exercise as I would have like but I am also in some of the best overall shape of my life. While I was working overnights I was able to have energy through out my night despite my goofy sleep schedule. I am better able to wrestle and play with my kids. I hope that in years to come that exercise will become such a habit in me and my family that it is just what we do. It is my hope that we will find new a creative ways to honor our bodies as the temple of God.

"Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies." 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

"Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well." 3 John 1:2