The Parallels of Exercise: Building a Healthy Body and a Sound Spirit Greg Kaidannek “Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.” – 3 John 1:2
W e live in a time when physical health is under siege. Millions of Americans—including teenagers and children—are overweight, and the obesity epidemic is leading to the early onset of health problems like diabetes. While Christian’s fo - cus must always remain on God’s Kingdom, the state of their physi- cal bodies is deeply interconnected with their spiritual preparedness and the vitality of their walk with Christ. Just as athletes spend enormous amounts of time training to reach a peak physical state, God’s people must also engage in deliberate ef - fort—or exercise—to maintain and strengthen spiritual health. Looking at the dual nature of bodily exer - tion, Christians can draw profound spiritual lessons to help guide them daily. The Heart and the Mind Aerobic activity—or “cardio”—is essential because it keeps the blood pumping and the heart healthy. A healthy physical heart is key to a long, productive life. Spiritually, this mirrors the condition of the mind (which the Bible often refers to as the “heart”). Just as physical exercise strength- ens the circulatory system, spiritual “cardio” strengthens the core of a person’s being—their thought pro -
cess. As Proverbs explains, God’s people must keep His laws in the midst of their hearts, for they are life and health to the whole being (Proverbs 3:1-2). A mind constantly nourished by in - struction, Bible study, Sabbath ser - vices, and “iron sharpening iron” type fellowship is key to living a long, fruitful life in service to God. One immediate benefit of consis - tent exercise is the loss of excess, unwanted weight that weighs peo- ple down. Spiritually, followers of Christ are promised a similar light- ening of the load. The world’s way of life is griev - ous and heavy, but Jesus Christ ex - plains, “My burden is light.” Obe - dience to God’s commandments is not a heavy, overwhelming weight, it actually lightens the load. As the Apostle John confirms in I John 5:3:
For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not bur - densome [heavy] By embracing God’s way, His peo - ple shed the burdensome anxieties and self-imposed weights of this world. Immunity Strenuous physical exercise helps the body expel toxins through sweat, taking stress off internal or - gans and allowing the immune sys- tem to function normally. When the body is healthy, it is equipped to fight off disease. Spiritually, the stress of this world is toxic. God’s way of life provides a spiritual immune shield. The key component of this shield is the “Way of Give.” When a person lives ac - cording to the principle of giving— giving their time, their resources, and laying down their own immedi- ate needs to look upon the needs of others— spiritual stress melts away. God instructs in Acts 20:35 that, “It is more blessed to give than to re - ceive”. By seeking first His righteousness and Kingdom (Matthew 6:33-34), Christians needs are met, and they become less susceptible to the draining anxieties of the world.
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