Spiritually Fit

Chapter 1 The Diagnosis Imagine for a moment that instead of seeing our doctors every year for a physical exam, we scheduled an appointment with God, the Great Physician, and He gave us a spiritual exam. What if instead of measuring our blood pressure to see how well our blood was flowing, he measured our Love Pressure to see how much love was flowing from our hearts? Would He find love pouring freely from every vein and capillary or would he find our love clogged by indifference, jealousy or selfishness? What if instead of looking inside our ears with a light, he looked straight through to our minds? Would he find clear-thinking minds, making productive decisions or minds muddled and confused, not knowing which way to go next? What if instead of listening to our heartbeats with a stethoscope, he listened directly to our souls? What would he hear? Would they beat strongly with assurance or tap out a weak tremor here and there? This illustration may seem extreme, but I think most of us can admit that we fall somewhere in between a strong healthy spirit and a spirit in need of some attention. The circumstances we live out each day can cause our spirits to be stomped on, tossed around and wrung out like an old washcloth. We are left frail and helpless. Or are we? Let’s look more closely at our Creator’s model of a healthy spirit. God created us in his image, which means we possess his power within us. Remember that God’s first and greatest commandment to us, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul and all your strength” (Deuteronomy 6:4 NLT) tells us that we have strength! And this isn’t just a strength that pushes you up a hill; you’ll go up the hill, around the corner, over bumps, across valleys, down crowded roads, through darkened lanes and still have power leftover. Our Maker presents us with the potential to be strong in Him and to live out abundance through Him. So why do we end up feeling so powerless at times? Our diagnosis may be something referred to as a “scrawny spirit.” A scrawny spirit feels like a fraction of God’s plan for us. Strong spirits overcome. Scrawny spirits are overwhelmed. Strong spirits stand steady in any waters. Scrawny spirits ride the waves of inconsistency; sometimes easily soaring on the crest of the wave and sometimes swimming frantically to reach shore. Strong spirits breathe with satisfaction and fulfillment. Scrawny spirits pine for rejuvenation. I can never forget Madison, a sweet first grader, whose wide brown eyes circled with panic as she stood by my desk. “Mrs. Gibson, look at my crayon!” she wailed. My eyes stared at what had once been a brand-new, thinly pointed crayon. Now, after coloring the branches of an oak tree, its perfect pointed tip flattened into a lopsided jungle green. “But, look what a beautiful tree your crayon has made.” My words pacified Madison, but I remained fixed on the crushed crayon. This is just like life, I thought. We start the day sharp and ready to tackle anything. We only want to craft something beautiful in the world, and so we give a little here and give even more there and suddenly we’re flattened. Lopsided. Smooshed. Used up. Scrawny. Paul wrote to Timothy about a “spirit of power and love and self-control.” Therefore, if our powerful spirits are shrinking day by day under the weight of this world, what is the cure? Exercise. A scrawny body can be made stronger by exercise: weightlifting, biking or swimming, stretching, running or walking. If our physical bodies respond to this type of exercise, then exercising our spirits will strengthen them as well. Jesus advocated for keeping our souls in shape. “And how do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul in the process? Is anything worth more than your own soul?” (Matthew 16:26 NLT) And Paul admonished Timothy as he wrote to him “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.” (1Timothy 4:7-8 NLT). I remember the October day several years ago that found our tomato plants ready to succumb to fall’s freezing temperatures. As I plucked green tomatoes off the vines, I found myself grieving the change that was upon us. It was nearly Halloween, then we would celebrate our daughter’s birthday. Before long we’d be carving the Thanksgiving turkey and heading into Christmas preparations. Then, the new year would start the cycle of everything over again. Was this all? Day after day, month after month. I couldn’t shake my hopeless feeling in the circle of life. A look at my journal revealed the cause of my doldrums. I hadn’t made an entry in over two weeks. Too busy. Too stressed. The result? A collapsed spirit, totally out of shape. Though I maintained my daily Bible reading, I couldn’t find time for my favorite way to connect with God; writing to Him, writing about Him, writing for Him. I spent mornings waking up my physical body with a workout and then getting ready for my day at school. After a day of teaching first graders, I often found myself too tired to focus on anything and fell asleep early. Was I spending too much time on my physical workout in the mornings and neglecting time with God? Should I rotate physical workouts one day and spiritual activities the next? However, I didn’t want my spiritual life to be an event that I had to schedule into my day. I wanted my spiritual life to be the heartbeat of everything I did all day long; a path to place my footsteps on in every moment. But how? Dissatisfied with my efforts, I slept fitfully that night. The next morning, during my Bible reading, I went to my favorite book, The Psalms. I read the first five verses of Psalm 105: “O give thanks to the Lord, call on his name, make known His deeds among the peoples. Sing to Him, sing praises to Him; tell of all his wonderful works. Glory in his holy name. Seek the Lord and his strength. Seek his presence continually. Remember the wonderful works he has done, his miracles and the judgments he has uttered.” (NRSV) I read the verses again, savoring each word as though they were the secret ingredients to a fulfilling life. How would my life change if I did these things every day or at least every week? I wanted to try. These were keys to a stronger relationship with God. A way to honor his Holiness. I had discovered exercises for my spirit! The next few days I explored the exercises more closely. I figured out which parts I was already doing, and which ones needed more work. Each day I stepped out in a new adventure, aware of my connection to God; my spirit. Contemplating. Experimenting. Consulting. Reading. Writing. As days turned to months and then years, I found myself growing a stronger spirit, anchored to a quiet center, flooded with a peaceful awareness of God’s presence. I still lived in the hub-bub of everyday life, but I lived with a firmer foundation, a foundation that was being reconstructed daily by my Maker. Now, you are beginning to see a hint of what your spiritual workout program can be. The exercises are split up into seven parts. 1. Give thanks to God. 2. Call on the Lord. 3. Make God known. 4. Sing to him! 5. Glory in the Lord. 6. Seek the Lord and his strength. 7. Remember his wonderful works. A well-rounded workout program leads to a well-rounded relationship with God and the powerful spirit He has planned for you. Why wouldn’t we desire a spirit stout and solid? God is spirit, and if we want to effectively relate to him, don’t our spirits need to be in the best shape possible? Of course! So, let’s get to work!