“Your body, given to you by God, is a temple for the Holy
Spirit." ~ 1 Corinthians 6:19
Gerald was on the heavy side. He lived amidst a toxic cloud of judgement;
most people saw only poor self-control and weak mindedness. Some folks have invisible addictions; to
tobacco, caffeine or painkillers. But his
was too obvious to miss; he wore it like a thick overcoat.
"Eat less, exercise more." Seemed easy enough. But how could he gad about town with
their stares boring into him. The one place that Gerald felt free to open
up and reveal his true self, where others accepted, valued and loved him, was
his Bible Study group.
Luck had turned in his favor when Jonah had invited him to
church that day. Gerald froze. “I don’t think I’m quite ready to go to
church,” he’d replied. “I’m in a funk
right now. Gimme a few months to
straighten my life out then ask me again.”
Jonah continued. “A
church is more than a ‘belief’ system; it’s a ‘belong’ system. It’s like being adopted; adopted into the
family of Christ,” he explained.
His first visit to St. Paul’s was terrifying – was he
dressed right, would he be accepted, is this the right one? And what about all those people who studied
the Bible?
But now he felt more relaxed. Small groups were much less intimidating. Today they explored 1 Corin 6: 19-20 and discussed the
importance of caring for whatever body graced us with in order to be used for
God's glory.
“Health clubs” he pictured in his mind’s eye. “Those intimidated places filled with
incredible hulks and smiling supermodels, surrounded by sinister-looking
machines. How silly he’d look in front of those
people.”
Fear chilled his spine - just like when he’d first
considered going to church. People who
need it most are often the ones who avoid it. Yet the imperfect, out-of-shape, people like
him are the ones who need it most.
“If I don’t do it for myself,” he thought, “I should do it
for Jesus.” The local gym would be his
next stop before going home.
For thousands of us faith and fitness are colliding. Seventy-five percent of Americans are
Christians. Sixty-five percent of us are
overweight. The stats paint an
unflattering picture of a rather unhealthy Christian population who may
exercise their faith, but not their bodies.
Our bodies are one of the many things we need to steward for
God. One of the ways we steward them
well is to live healthy lives – exercise, eat right, sleep well. Healthy bodies and souls are equally
important.
Holy Father, run by my side, live in my
heartbeat, give strength to my steps, give purpose to my struggle. Unleash the best in me as I give you the
beast in me. May my workout bring glory
to you Lord. Amen.
