Fitness Thoughts

Well, since we've moved to Texas in the craziness of packing and preparing and arranging everything we ended up both forgoing our fitness and exercise routines and putting on quite a bit of weight!  I ended up gaining approximately 20 pounds with all of the stress and also not exercising and eating out quite a bit on the way down here and also as we were getting settled, so it was good to find out that my employer has a free gym with free personal training!  Plus I had been itching to get back into running and ever since last year's big 50km hurrah in May, my running has been spiraling downhill until about now.  

As the Lord has taken us through the journey of dealing with ourselves and our self image, we've come to realize that caring for our bodies is a matter of stewardship.  It's not trying to preserve ourselves or to try to make ourselves last longer on this temporary earth, or a matter of vanity or confidence, but really taking care of this frail 'dust-like' body that the Lord has so amazingly brought to life and continues to bring more and more fully alive in Christ Jesus by His breath and Word and Holy spirit in us.  

Plus our bodies are vessels or tools in the hands of our Maker!  He can use us in whatever way, shape or form He desires, and that sometimes means quite literally physically!  Whether that be serving someone by doing some hard manual work, or ministering through physical care, the performing arts or in sports, our bodies and ourselves are clay in His hands to use.  So taking care and good stewardship take on a new importance when we realize that all of us, including our bodies are tools in His Hands for His use, and not our own.  

We truly were bought at a price, the life of our Savior Jesus Christ and we are not our own, we belong to Jesus, and that is a very very great and wondrous and awesome privilege that He calls us His own, so let us then offer ourselves, every part of ourselves, heart, soul, mind and strength to Him as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, for this is our spiritual act of worship!

Amen!