wanted: spiritual fitness program

April 16, 2006

when i was at the club the other day, i noticed a new poster hanging in the locker room. it was an ad for a new fitness program. the ad contained a familiar phrase a recent tv commercial uses, "side effects may include: increased energy, higher self-esteem, less stress..." i looked at it and grinned.

i left the club, wondering why our culture places such a huge emphasis on physical fitness. when i arrived home, i turned the tv on briefly. it was the oprah show and they were talking about health and fitness.

our culture talks so much about the benefits of physical fitness and the importance of it. we all know a healthy body leads to many positive things. some are better than others in this, but it's all a matter of discipline. they maintain a strict diet (this could be eating healthy foods or actually dieting) and/or practice a regular exercise regime. the people who do this realize the benefits far outweigh the "costs" (time, energy).

knowing all this, most of us believe a healthy life develops from regular exercise and a proper diet. i'm sure most of us have spent/currently spend a considerable amount of time on either one of these. so what am i getting at? human beings are much more complex than just our physical being. we also have a spiritual dimension. now before proceeding further, i must say this: i don't like to separate these two dimensions, because they are inter-related. but, for the sake of this post, i will use this dichotomy.

we need to wake up to the fact that healthy living includes nurturing our spiritual dimension. if we neglect it, we are not living fully. sadly, i think this is true for many of us. devotions, prayer, meditation, silence, solitude, rest, Sabbath, Scripture reading, all these things get pushed aside for other things in our lives. most of us say we don't have time or we're too tired for it. but if we saw it as life-giving, as something we had to do (like physical exercise and proper eating), there would be profound change not only in our own lives, but also in the world. i believe as we grow in our relationship with God, it affects those around us, because we become more like Him. i wonder what the world would look like, if all Christ-followers took to heart the importance of their own spiritual fitness the same way our culture embraces physical fitness and well-being. what would the world look like, if we all took seriously our faith? if we decided to really chase God above all things in life? if we decided to make establishing His Kingdom on earth the desire of our hearts? if we decided to love God above all?

culture will never tell us the importance of these things. in fact, they will tell us how unimportant they are. but if we are serious and committed to our God, we must intentionally give our lives to what truly matters in life. physical fitness programs are great, but we also need a regular spiritual fitness program too.

so in the spirit of exercise adverts, here's my spiritual advert:

program: a daily spiritual fitness routine, developing your relationship with Almighty God. a sample of activities: include prayer, meditation, silence, rest, Scripture reading, solitude, Sabbath, fasting. these activities will assist you in knowing God more deeply and more intimately, allowing you to experience more of who He is. activity length depends on you, at your discretion. it can range from five minutes to a full-day session.

potential side-effects: a complete life, lacking nothing, security in Christ, freedom from bondage and condemnation, abundance of love, overflowing in joy, peace in all circumstances, Christ-like character, hope in the present and the future, thankfulness.

Posted by Leo Chan at April 16, 2006 11:14 AM