Exercise and God

One aspect of my life that I have not given much thought to as being a part of my "spiritual life" is that of my physical life, particularly my health. As I have taken time to think about my physical body in relation to my spiritual life, several things stand out to me as reasons why I may have missed the connection in the past and how physical health is actually one of many aspects of a whole person that is identified in Scripture.

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First, how many pastors and missionaries do we see walking around who are severely overweight and pay little if any attention to their physical health and fitness? I have always maintained an active lifestyle and incorporated exercise into my weekly routine, but until recently, I had not seen much correlation between physical health and the spiritual life, and much of that might be due to the way I have seen other Christians fail to live this out. While fitness and body-image can certainly have too much significance for a Christian, many people I have encountered simply do away with exercise and attentiveness to one's physical body since, in their opinion, "there are more eternally significant things to spend our time on."

There are many places in Scripture that should lead the Christian believer to care for their body and to see the physical aspect of life as connected to the spiritual life. First, Scripture teaches that Jesus is going to come again, the Earth will be made new, and we will receive new physical bodies. If it is true that we should engage in ministry, in the reconciling of relationships, in justice, and in the stewardship of the Earth, why should we not also pursue the health and well-being of our physical bodies as we eagerly anticipate God redeeming that aspect of our lives? Second, if we are to live long, fruitful lives and to make the most of the short time that God has given us on this Earth, we cannot neglect the discipline of physical health and well-being. To do so would make us unwise stewards of what God has given us and would end up pulling us away from ministry and relationships as our bodies fail.

Just as any one area of our lives has the potential to deter us from our relationships with God and with others if over-emphasized, so too does the physical aspect of life. Yet, God is "reconciling all things" and every aspect of our being to Himself, including our physical bodies, so we would be wise to include the physical in our view of our spiritual lives and to give our bodies adequate attention.

-CK

*See N.T. Wright's, Surprised By Hope for further reading on the implications of a resurrected Jesus and New Heavens and a New Earth.