God’s been getting all up in my chili about my health lately.
Now, my health isn’t BAD, per se. Cholesterol is good. I’m in the proper weight range for my height. And when the clothes get a little snug, I know how to cut back so things will fit again. I exercise MAYBE once a week.
But you know what? I wouldn’t call myself healthy. I have a pretty significant addiction to Diet Coke. I eat as much junk food as I can, as long as I can still fit in my jeans (majorly lucked out with metabolism). The exercise is sporadic at best. I tend to take the elevator instead of the stairs. And my job requires nothing more than me sitting on my butt with my laptop. (There’s actually an indentation where I sit on the couch every day. It’s embarrassing.)
I didn’t watch much of the Olympics. (I know, I know. I’ll try to feel bad about it.) But my family watched a lot of it so I caught bits and pieces.
And what I saw affected me in a way that it never had before.
As I marveled at the athletes, I thought to myself, Look at what our bodies are capable of. Look how fast/strong/flexible/powerful these people are. Created by God and every bit of potential being met and poured out on the world’s stage.
Do I think God wants us all to spend 12-16 hours a day training to be Olympic-caliber athletes? Of course not. I bet there are plenty of gym rats out there who have turned their bodies into idols.
But I feel like I can do better. And that I SHOULD do better. Because if my body is important to my Father, it should be important to ME.
Think about when He created the first human body.
He spoke everything into being. The earth, the sky, the sun, the moon, the trees, the animals, the oceans. Everything came into existence at His mighty word. Then the Trinity decided to bring creation to a thrilling crescendo.
‘Let Us make mankind in Our image’… So God created mankind in His own image, in the image of God He created them; male and female He created them. (Genesis 1:26-27)
So They agreed to do it, but Adam didn’t just appear like everything else.
Oh no. This was God’s pet project, deeply personal and close to His heart. So the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the Creator of all things decided from the very beginning to get His mighty hands dirty for His people. (And it wouldn’t be the last time.)
Then the LORD God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. (Genesis 2:7)
God breathed His own breath of life into a man. It doesn’t get much more personal than that.
Psalm 139 says we are ‘fearfully and wonderfully made, knit together in our mother’s womb.’
Our bodies are His masterpiece, created in His image.
But as much as our bodies are His prize, He didn’t opt to become a puppet master to control our every movement. He gave us autonomy to move about (or not) as we please.
And as much as I’d like to tell God to mind His own business when He draws attention to the lack of care I show my body, 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 comes screaming into my head:
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.
In other words:
It IS My business. It’s MY HOUSE.
God was very specific in the Bible about what His people were to eat. Everybody was vegetarian for a while. Then certain meats were allowed after Noah parked the ark on the mountain.
Throughout the law, there are gazillions of verses delineating what foods were clean and what foods were unclean.
Then of course, we have the story of Daniel in Babylonian captivity. He and his buddies opted out of the rich food and wine from the king’s table in order to keep kosher. And after ten days of just veggies and water, the young men of Judah ‘looked healthier and better nourished’ than those who partook of the richer food.
Then later in Acts 10, God reveals to Peter that everything He created is clean and we could eat it all. I just don’t know that a Quarter Pounder with Cheese or a bag of chips were part of that vision.
It wouldn’t be a stretch for me to say that food can easily become an idol for me, if I let it. You guys know this. I go to McDonald’s way too often. And you can’t watch football without game-day food: chips, dips, wings, pizza, etc.
Eating is a very emotional experience for me. Lysa TerKeurst has been helping me with this in her book Made to Crave (highly recommend).
And I am regularly convicted by Philippians 3:19. Paul is talking about the enemies of the cross and says, ‘their god is their stomach.’ Eesh. I am NOT an enemy of the cross and I don’t want to have anything in common with one either.
I took a nutrition class over the summer and was actually really inspired by the science of it all. I ate really clean for about two weeks. Then we went on vacation and all bets were off. Never got back on the wagon. I’m starting another online health course in a couple of weeks. Maybe this one will stick.
And life used to require a lot more physical activity than it does now. People walked everywhere. Many jobs were manual labor. Kids played outside. You know the deal.
These days we have to MAKE ourselves move. Pay money to join gyms. Hire trainers to hold us accountable.
I was hoping to find some scripture about God not giving a rip about our earthly bodies because they’re temporary and that He only cares about our hearts. No such luck.
For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. (1 Timothy 4:8)
No, no, no! Lord, you’re supposed to say that physical training doesn’t matter at all! But apparently it’s of SOME value. Crap.
So why does He care so much? Well, first because He made us and we’re His. Secondly because we are His temple, where the Holy Spirit resides.
But our bodies are also tools, vessels to be used to accomplish His purposes. Saint Teresa of Avila said:
Christ has no body but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which He looks
Compassion on this world
And if we are to be living sacrifices (Romans 12:1), I think He needs us more than just breathing. He needs us really living ‘the life that is truly life’ (1 Timothy 6:19).
How can I be His hands and feet if I have no energy?
How can I protect the innocent if I have no strength?
How can I travel to needy countries if my immune system is too weak to handle potential disease?
How can I even begin to fulfill His purposes for my life if I spend all my time nursing ailments caused by my unhealthy choices?
But there’s no time to exercise.
Eating healthy is so expensive.
Preparing healthy meals is so time-consuming.
Getting up early to walk is too hard.
If eating junk is wrong, I don’t wanna be right!
I’ve said it all, my friends. And none of these excuses hold up to their alternative. Being unhealthy is far more time consuming, expensive and painful.
Abundant life, life to the fullest is active, passionate, focused, energetic, clear headed and whole hearted. Life isn’t just existing. We must choose to really LIVE.
And to do that, we must care for our most valuable tool and God’s chosen temple.
What does that look like, you ask?
Your genetics play a large role in making healthy choices and every body is so different. As far as the specifics go, that’s a question for your doctor.
But we all know enough to start making better choices:
Get your yearly physical. No excuses.
Go to the dentist.
Get that mole checked.
Wear sunscreen.
Do some walking/jogging a few times a week.
Work in some strength training to support your bones.
Cut back on the soda and sugar.
Eat some freakin’ vegetables, for heaven’s sake.
We KNOW this. And you know what? It matters. It really does. If it matters to Him, it has to matter to us. And since it matters to Him, it matters to the kingdom. Health is a spiritual issue.
I know this isn’t a fun topic. But I promised you guys a while ago that when God wanted me to tell hard truths, I wouldn’t sugarcoat it anymore. (Sorry. Bad pun.)
Just know, I wrote this for myself. And now it’s out there for the world to see so all of you can hold me accountable. (Great.)
My passion is helping people find their purpose and get them living it. We must be prepared for whatever task God puts in front of us, spiritually and physically.
Time to clean house.
