Soul Fitness

Nowadays, fitness is not only a multi-billion dollar business but almost at every corner, every day, we encounter new fitness and health professionals able to guide us through the intricate roads of losing weight, bat wings and love handles.

The amazing thing I find, is that each and everyone of these fitness “gurus” has a “spiritual” component in his system. Most of them, add ‘meditation’ to their programs. This ‘meditation’ translates into steps that people take to concentrate mostly in breathing. Although, it can be part of the specific exercise routine itself.

We realized that most of these gurus have a religion that has nothing to do with Christianity, which is my faith and (I want to believe) that of many American women like me. They resemble more the mystical religions of different peoples around the world, and they have incorporated these “meditation” practices as an essential part for the effectiveness of their programs.

I started questioning and wondering about this; can we as Christians participate in this kind of programs? I just remembered one of my favorite verses, “For bodily exercise profits little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.”

We as Christians should not be part of “meditations” that may take our minds away from our God and the Lord Jesus Christ, but I do not see anything wrong with exercise, and God neither.

It is important to exercise to keep healthy and able to work and do things in our body but it is much more beneficial to exercise ourselves for godliness. At least, God the Creator has given us all things that pertain to life and also to godliness.

Why do we want to engage in an exercise program that will take us on a strange road when we have everything in our favor to live a healthy life and in addition, to rest assured that our souls are also fit for heaven?

We know that the old adage of “you are what you eat” is true; and we can learn that “we are what we think” may be also a reality. Christ says, “where your treasure is, there is your heart (mind) also”. We know that we need whole food to nourish our bodies, likewise we need healthy doctrine (teachings) to nurture our souls.

Remember, “A sound mind in a sound body”? It actually starts with the mind. If we feed our minds the most nutritious food the body will feel the benefits too. As we cannot expect to live healthily by eating junk food, our minds cannot be sound when we have no knowledge of the True God and His Word, the Bible.

I know that many do not believe in the God of the Bible, but that is irrelevant. He talks to His children and they will hear. God, in Jesus Christ, gave us all things for his children to enjoy and to take care of our minds and bodies. He gives us our daily helathy bread at our tables, and the bread of life for our souls in His Word.

The fitness gurus of the world want to glue together their private “spirituality” with the health of our God-created bodies, when we already (if we are true believers) have the Spirit of the Living God dwelling in us to help us meditate in the wonderful works of our God and Savior Jesus Christ.

We should meditate every day, but not to control our breathing or to gain muscle mass but to grow in the knowledge of our God in His Word. We should “exercise ourselves rather unto godliness.”