Training body and soul…
Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 1 Corinthians 9:24-25
The cure of the part should not be attempted without treatment of the whole. No attempt should be made to cure the body without the soul. Plato
Yesterday’s blog was about trimming and pruning the unnecessary or overgrown parts of our lives, but today, we’ll look at adding in good habits. Today marks one year of using a stretching app daily. When I started using the app, I was awkward and not very flexible but had seen so many of my friends sidelined by physical injuries that I decided to finally try to commit to a regular stretching routine to prevent or lessen injuries. At that time, I was dealing with a bout of plantar fasciitis; my feet were sore. I was determined to get my feet better and prevent injury to other body parts that already hurt at times. If you know me or have read this blog for any length of time, you know that hiking is a “happy place” for me so maintaining physical health in order to keep on hiking is important to me.
In the Scripture above, Paul talks about our spiritual life in comparison to physical conditioning. He talks about training and striving to do the best possible, just as an athlete prepares for competition. Spiritually, it means practicing disciplines that help us to grow to be more Christlike in our thoughts, words, actions, and daily lives. Like most of life, the disciplines must be balanced as each is important in a specific way.
What are the disciplines? Time with God includes prayer and praise, reading Scripture, studying the Word, and even taking time to just sit at Jesus feet in silence and reverence. Fellowship with other believers means attending church, doing Bible study with others and socializing with both believers and non-believers. Connecting with people, whether family, friends, or others, is to model God’s loving presence. The Trinity exemplifies the importance of community in that God the Father, Jesus, and Holy Spirit are one. We must impact the world in significant ways be they small things or large things, so we are always in spiritual training. As with physical training, spiritual training benefits us in every way and it also benefits others around us.
So how did my year with stretching go? First of all, somewhere during the year, I began to realize that the stretching app actually included not just stretching exercises but also some yoga poses that work on core strength and balance/coordination. Over the year, I’ve become much more flexible, and body parts that had been becoming progressively more painful have improved dramatically. When I was paddleboarding this past summer, it was a pleasant surprise to see how much my balance had improved which also carried over into hiking. A year later, I see the incredible benefit of the app and have made it a part of my everyday routine and life.
What new healthy habit will you begin this winter? Start slow and persevere! You’ll be glad that you did!
