The ‘spiritual’ and the ‘physical’ are linked. We know that, don’t we? We know how the senses can be a gateway to connecting with God, and how great it is to be able to encourage people to use their bodies in worship.
A while back we interviewed a military chaplain. One of the requirements for getting the job was passing the same physical that all other military personnel are asked out through.
“I lost 50 pounds to get in,” said the chaplain, “and that makes a big difference to your overall sense of mind and faith and spiritually. It annoys me that the church doesn’t work harder to make their leaders do better.”
He discovered the simple truth that someone really ought to put no a bumper sticker one of these days:
We don’t HAVE a body; we ARE a body.
So if the above is all true, do we place enough importance on our own physical fitness? Does our diet and exercise help draw us closer to God? Or are our abs, like our wallets, the last parts of us to get converted?
Maybe not. Maybe you see things differently. Maybe you think that in today’s digital world, the physical matters less than the experiential. Will dropping a pound or two really make you a better follower of Jesus?