Foundations for Success > Get Healthy > Physical Health

Does This Life Matter?

The body matters: it is created by God. Spiritual health does not require one to "escape" the body or the world. Made in our creator's image, we are to give our physical self the attention appropriate to such an honor.

Life can often be rugged and demanding. It involves working with skill, diligence and fidelity in our careers, seeking to rear good children, developing a healthy and vibrant relationship with our spouses, being a good neighbor, warring against injustice in our communities, employing our gifts in serving others and spending adequate time on our own spiritual development. How do you do all of this in a God honoring manner if you are not a tough, disciplined individual?

It is quite difficult to be successful when one is not feeling well. It is one thing to be inflicted with an illness I have no control over. It is different matter entirely if the illness, fatigue or weakness is due to our own neglect or abuse.

To maintain our health, then, we must watch over what we put into our bodies. Ask yourself this: "Is this food or drink that I am about to place in my mouth going to give me energy or not?" If it is fruit or vegetables, the answer is yes. If it is candy or soft drinks, the answer is no.

One way we can gain control over our eating habits is to fast on a regular basis. I recommend one day every month, with a special season of three days of prayer and fasting once every six months.

Be sane, be wise: don't start out by going on a total fast of nothing but water. When you first start fasting, drink things like fruit juice or V-8 juice or sip on chicken broth. (Of course, if you are a diabetic or have some health problem you shouldn't fast at all without first consulting your physician.)

Fasting not only helps us to cleanse our bodies and give our over-worked digestive systems a rest, it also helps us to focus our hearts and minds with more laser-like intensity. Whereas typically much of our blood is being used to digest food all day, when we fast there is plenty of blood that can go to our brains!

Exercise, of course, is also important. After all, what sort of body are you going to offer to God? (Romans 12:1,2) Is it weak and lethargic or strong and full of vitality? Do you have an ever-increasing capacity for energetic service or do you find yourself being able to do less and less work? Start walking twenty minutes a day or join a spa. Maybe you can jump rope everyday, do fifty sit ups and begin stretching exercises. Whatever it is, be consistent.

Few things are more incongruent (or hypocritical) than someone who says, "I'm following God" and yet their body seems to scream, "Sugar Reigns!" Spiritual health requires physical discipline. I realize that some people have certain physical maladies that make their weight a difficult challenge. I am not speaking to these people but to those who are over weight simply because they refuse to deal with themselves and to get their priorities straight.

Read Part 2: Emotional Health