EMPOWERING LIVES WITH PURPOSE:
Guest Writer:
Michele Hughes,
Leadership Team, Author
“HABITS”
Who are my fitness friends?
Do you enjoy going to the gym? Do you have a personal trainer? Do you watch fitness videos? Maybe you are the type to walk outside or get involved in sports outdoors? Whatever form of exercise or movement you prefer, you have probably at some point reaped the benefits from exercise.
Benefits from bodily exercise include improved mood, weight loss, flexibility, reduced stress, and productivity to name a few.
For me, I go to the gym every day unless something prevents that from happening. I enjoy taking walks and riding my bike and paddleboarding. I even watch workout videos at home. But, if I’m honest, I don’t really enjoy going to the gym. I go out of habit and discipline because I know it’s good for me. Sometimes I feel like it’s not doing any good because my mind gets in the way and I don’t see the results I want or expect. But, if I didn’t do any sort of physical activity, my health would most probably decline.
I find our Christian walk can be like this sometimes. We go to church, we read our Bible, we pray, and sometimes we wonder if it’s doing any good when we don’t see the results we would expect or desire right away. But, we are to engage in those disciplines anyways. Sometimes it’s out of desire and sometimes it’s out of habit. Whenever we engage in these disciplines, it strengthens us physically, mentally, and spiritually.
I would imagine if we didn’t do any of these disciplines, our lives would look and feel totally different.
I’m here to encourage you to do it anyway! Right?
Can I confess something? Sometimes I start a workout video at home and very quickly I find myself sitting on the sofa and just watching it. Am I not the only one? It’s as if my body will simply transform by sitting there and “putting in the time.” I get depressed watching that “perfect” body though. I don’t see results fast enough on my own and my mind starts messing with me. Nevertheless, what I don’t see is what she eats and how she spends the other 23 hours of her day.
When I look at Jesus, I see things like humility, grace, and faithfulness. Do I really know all that He experienced to get Him to that point? I need to do certain things to be more like Christ. I need to ask myself, “What do I need to be doing to be more like Christ?” May we each seek to do what it takes to discipline ourselves so we might be more like Christ and therefore find ourselves more spiritually fit which is extremely important to our health.
1 Tim. 4:7 NASB- Discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness.
James 1:22 NIV- Do not merely listen to the Word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.