DUH!!! We all know that regular exercise strengthens our muscles. We also know if we stop exercising, our muscles atrophy.
Did you know the same is true for spiritual exercise? If we engage in consistent spiritual training, in time, we’ll detect real spiritual growth. However, if we fail to get regular spiritual exercise, our faith will atrophy. Sadly, just like it’s easy to become physically lazy, it’s also easy to become spiritually lazy. We want to be spiritually fit but we often don’t take the effort to get fit. We want to be able to live without worry, but we can’t. We wish our first reaction to every challenge in life would be to pray, but it’s not. We know we should have a better attitude about our job or our kids or our spouse, but we don’t.
Sometimes, our thoughts, attitudes and actions aren’t reflective of God. If we’re honest with ourselves, we have to admit that we are not always spiritually fit.
From time to time I come to the realization that I’m out of shape spiritually. I feel “fat.” My muscles feel “mushy.” When challenges come my way, I realize I’m not at the top of my game. I doubt. I complain. I forget to pray. I say things I shouldn’t say. I hate it when I get like that!
When I finally realize what’s going on (sometimes I’m a little slow to catch on), I recognize that I’m spiritually unfit because I’ve become lazy. I’ve stopped exercising. I’ve lost the ability to keep God’s perspective on my circumstances because I’ve become irregular in my training program.
The apostle Paul addresses this very thing in his first letter to Timothy, a young man he was mentoring.
Spend your time and energy in training yourself for spiritual fitness. Physical exercise has some value, but spiritual exercise is much more important, for it promises a reward in both this life and the next. (I Timothy 4:7b-8)
When I finally recognize that I’ve digressed in my spiritual health, the solution I need to embrace is regular spiritual exercise. I need to get back into a spiritual training program and practice some spiritual disciplines. For me, that typically means I need to reengage in a daily time of prayer and Bible reading. I need to journal my thoughts about what I’m reading and what God is teaching me. I need to write out my prayers. I need to meditate on verses that help me get God’s perspective on my circumstances.
Your list of disciplines may be different from mine. Maybe you’ve gotten so busy in life that you don’t have time to think clearly about anything. Making time for solitude so you can reflect on God more could make a difference. Maybe you’ve slipped into patterns of indulgence and realize you’re always thinking about the next thing you want to buy. Perhaps it’s time to exercise frugality. For more information about spiritual disciplines, check out the water’s edge.
One of the great things about being spiritually fit is that it not only benefits us, but it also benefits others. As leaders of children, if we want to make a difference in the lives of the kids we serve, we need to take our spiritual health seriously. We need to exercise regularly. Paul goes on to tell Timothy,
We work hard and suffer much in order that people will believe the truth, for our hope is in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and particularly of those who believe… Give your complete attention to these matters [staying spiritually fit and using your spiritual gifts]. Throw yourself into your tasks so that everyone will see your progress. Keep a close watch on yourself and on your teaching. Stay true to what is right, and God will save you and those who hear you. ( I Timothy 4:10, 15-16)
As summer rolls into fall, I encourage you to pause for a few moments to assess your spiritual health. Don’t let the business of the new year, the shortness of the days and the change in temperature chip away at your spiritual health. Regular exercise really will make a difference – in your life and in the lives of the kids you serve! Won’t you join me in getting into shape this fall?
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