Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training… " - 1 Corinthians 9:25
It's almost 6 months since I first started this series with Shadowboxing. I remember it was around October, as I went into a celebration mode starting with my birthday and then along came the holidays - Thanksgiving & Christmas, and for those of you who don't know me too well, let me tell you, I went on a cooking/baking spree. The COVID situation definitely resulted in coping mechanisms where emotions ran high, so whether it was thankfulness or stress, it was all expressed in the form of cooking scrumptious meals & desserts.
Fast forward to now, and I am nowhere near feeling "fit and energetic". Truth be told, I have been getting convicted about not taking care of my body and that is making me miserable. They say "misery loves company" so here I am sharing my findings about how important it is to take care of our body.
Taking care of our physical body also called 'The Temple Of God', is a balancing act. We must attempt to achieve physical wellness and fitness without being narcissistic and self-consumed. I know for a fact that there are many well written articles and programs that are tailor made to meet each of our needs and goals for adopting a better lifestyle. So I am just going to list 5 things that I believe will help us start off on the right foot.
Be Accepting - Taking care of our body can only start if we have accepted and acknowledged the truth about how God has created us. For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. - Psalm 139:13-16. I think this is a great foundation to start this journey on! Most of us struggle to accept our height, weight, body type, genetics etc. Knowing that we were created to be a certain way or to look a certain way is liberating - it frees us from the pressure of society, culture, trend and allows us to build on what works best for us i.e. to be the best version of ourselves and not someone else.
Be Careful - We are most definitely called to eat in moderation and we should take great care that gluttony or excessive food should not be part of our lives. Many diseases and health problems have their root cause in gluttony, which in milder terms we call "overindulgence". While we can enjoy delicious food and desserts we should resist the urge to consume food that is rich in content on a regular basis. Solomon warns us of deceitful "delicacies" and prescribed drastic measures if a person is constantly overindulging i.e. "put a knife to your throat". While that does seem like a strong statement, I think he just wanted to emphasize on the seriousness of it and maybe what the wisest man in the world is saying is simply this - it’s unwise to let our appetites run loose in any situation. Do not join those who drink too much wine or gorge themselves on meat, for drunkards and gluttons become poor, and drowsiness clothes them in rags. - Proverbs 23:20-21
Be Disciplined - Paul talks in Corinthians about mastering ourselves in every area of our life including Food. Someone will say, "I am allowed to do anything." Yes; but not everything is good for you. I could say that I am allowed to do anything, but I am not going to let anything make me its slave. Food is for the stomach, and the stomach is for food ... - 1 Corinthians 6:12-13. In other words, we should be thankful for the appetite for food; and that God provides for the needs of the body. We should eat to obtain strength to serve Him and to discharge the duties of the wonderful life He has given to us. However, pampering of the appetites is the great purpose for which a lot of people live these days, and for some the only purpose. So it is important to achieve temperance in the aspect of eating and I believe that in turn can strengthen other areas of our lives too. We should also focus better on our nutrition, hydration & sleep and make changes like eating more fruits and vegetables (definitely my area of struggle), drinking that extra glass of water and try sleeping half an hour earlier. Like they say "the first step to being a disciple is to practice discipline".
Be Active - Regular exercise will help us to reach and maintain our ideal weight. Any form of activity such as brisk walking, running etc. improves productivity, cardiovascular stamina and mental alertness. For physical training is of some value... - 1 Timothy 4:8 While most often this verse is used to point out that "godliness has more value" I want to emphasize today on the part where the verse also says that physical training does have SOME value and we should not neglect that. It could be simple things like walking while attending a phone call or playing with a little one because they will always keep you on the move. You can also get a partner you can exercise with or be accountable to, whatever works for you, but lets keep moving!
Be Persistent - In all honesty, I tried to be disciplined over the past couple of months but I did not persevere in my endeavor. We have to set a goal and move forward with perseverance because that is key. I go back to the last part of the verses that started me on this journey ... I keep on disciplining my body, making it serve me so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not somehow be disqualified - 1 Corinthians 9:27. We have to KEEP ON disciplining our body. When we start it may be difficult, actually let me rephrase that - it is really difficult when you start. I struggle with reducing my 3 teaspoons of sugar to 2 or with exercising more than 10 mins a day but that's when we can pray and ask God for strength to persevere. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. - Philippians 4:6
Like the verse above from Corinthians, I sincerely hoped to be writing this piece when I reached a "practice what you preach" phase. But since that hasn't happened yet, I am hopeful having written this, that it will help me to have some form of accountability in the days to come.
I do believe that practicing healthy living can glorify God and make us more effective in our daily lives and relationships with others and so if I had to pick one word from the 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 verses in this series of posts, it would be Self-Control- Every athlete exercises self-control in all things - 1 Corinthians 9:25. We need to be able exercise self-control in our thoughts, feelings, responses and appetites because that is pivotal in our pursuit of wholeness from the Inside Out - Spirit, Soul & Body.
So let's fill our spirit with truth and His promises every step of the way, be self-aware and fill our soul with what makes it come alive and listen to our body when it needs rest or movement or nourishment. Let's take care of ourselves... Let's treasure our heart, mind, and body the way God treasures us!
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
Psalm 139:14
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