Thanks for joining my journey through Lysa TerKeurst’s awesome book, Made to Crave. For my thoughts on other chapters, see here.
I started thinking through and writing out my thoughts on Chapter 9 (Exercise Makes Me Want to Cry – hilarious) the same day that I posted my thoughts on chapter 8 (Making Peace With the Realities of My Body). Basically: My first reading of this chapter is what got me started running, an activity which I’ve grown in and actually begun to enjoy since early March.
But I’m ditching that first draft (ignoring it completely, actually) for 2 reasons:
#1 Summer has happened, along with vacation, uncontrollable schedules, HEAT, and a nasty stomach virus. Running has fallen by the wayside, and I’ll be starting from scratch. I know I should just run when I can, and not worry about it when I can’t. But it’s very tempting to just throw in the towel, since it can’t be in my regular routine (I’m realizing this is a pattern for me – if I can’t do something well/all the way/as part of my schedule, then I might as well not try. How’s that for a self- defeating pattern?)
#2 Several comments to my post on chapter 8 have given me a LOT to think about and changed some of how I was thinking about chapter 9, and exercise in general.
I LOVE comments, not just for the positive feedback (everyone loves positive feedback!), but also for the challenge. It is so wonderful to be able to use this relatively impersonal mode of communication to actually hear real people’s real thoughts about real things – and have my own thinking challenged and pushed.
So… Chapter 9 is great, and it got me running (which is a great thing.)
Running has helped me in so many ways: health-wise, mentally, fitness, definitely was the big difference maker weight-wise… Although if I’m looking any thinner this week, it’s for MUCH less healthy reasons. That stomach bug has knocked me OUT. Not the appetite suppressant I’d recommend.
However, as I’ve continued to think through the truths and opinions in this chapter, one thing has bothered me: It’s written from the perspective that exercise is a “should.” I have trouble with “shoulds” – how much is enough? I know that everyone should eat healthy, but how healthy is enough? Do I always need to make the healthiest choice always? Where is there room for “God made all things richly to enjoy?” And I know that exercise is good for me – but what kind, and how much is enough, and is it lazy to prefer sleep? Isn’t sleep just as healthy??
I totally realize these are justifications. To quote the book,
“I had a spiritual problem. I depended on food for comfort more than I depended on God. And I was simply too lazy to exercise. Ouch.”
Ouch indeed. This chapter talks about having an undivided heart – something I definitely want, but don’t like to apply to this part of my life.
“I can either be loyal to honoring the Lord with my body or loyal to my cravings, desires, and many excuses for not exercising. The apostle Paul taught the Corinthians about this two thousand years ago when he wrote: ‘Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? you are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.’ (1 Corinthians 6:19)”
I want to honor God with my body. My question (relating to the the “should” of exercise) is, do I have to exercise to honor God with my body? Does honoring God with my body require making the healthiest choice at all times?
I’ve been stuck here for a while (even pre-vacation and stomach bug, when I was exercising more regularly). But I’ve found enormous challenge/encouragement from this comment from my friend Julia:
This chapter sounds particularly interesting to me because some of my “aha!” moments in recent years about exercise and food have come when I’ve realized that I basically walk around as a Platonic dualist or a gnostic, thinking my spiritual self is important but my body isn’t. The quote you have there about my body being a gift from God, about it being good, is related, I think, to what has woken me up from that gnosticism to some level. I still have a ton of stuff to deal with, of course, but for me these are core ideas to addressing health/body/weight issues.
This was a complete revelation to me – I did not associate it with being gnostic at all, but I do tend to think my spiritual self is important but my body isn’t. I live and worship and seek God in this body.He DWELLS IN ME. It is my responsibility (and should be my joy) to take excellent care of His dwelling place. And I need to think more about how much I categorize – as if my spiritual health and physical health aren’t related in any way. Hmmmm.
So: I want to stop thinking in “shoulds”, and start thinking about how I can be spiritual through honoring God with my body. Taking good care of myself, making healthy choices, depending on the Spirit to guide me. Just as I try to do in other areas of my life. It was for freedom that Christ set me free, I am free to be healthy.
Not because I need to make healthy choices in order to be approved by God (because that was done in Jesus), or to lose weight… but because I’m a dwelling place of God.
This was a great and incredibly convicting post. I tend to do the same thing, focusing on the heart/mind aspects of being a follower of Christ, but often disregarding the physical aspects when it comes to exercising (I don’t), and eating healthy (it comes and goes). Even when I go in spurts of exercising and eating healthily, it’s always for my own motives to look better than to see myself as caring for God’s temple. I’ve been reading through the Old Testament and God is SO SPECIFIC and repetitive about how he commands his tabernacle to be taken care of. Why do I think he doesn’t care as specifically with how I care for my body?
It is so important to remember that God made us body soul and spirit. Any time we neglect one aspect, we are not acknowledging how God made us. It is much easier to serve our families and others when we are feeling healthy and strong. (We are called to serve anyway, but we can be so much more effective when stewarding our bodies.) Beyond this, if you look at how God designed the body, He made it to move and not be sedentary. Until the last hundred years, movement was part of ever day life.
The last thing I would add is that exercise is not a punishment. There are lots of ways to get moving. If you don’t like running, walking at a quick pace is good. There are great videos out there as well. Stationary equipment tends to be expensive but may be worth the investment if it helps with consistency. Finding a workout buddy is definitely helpful. Roller blading, soccer with the kids, hiking, anything that gets you moving for 20-30 minutes about 4x a week is great.
Oh my gosh, that chapter title is hilarious.
Another thing that was wrapped up for me in viewing my body in a different way was when I read Surprised by Hope by N.T. Wright. He doesn’t address body issues specifically at all but his perspective on Christian eschatology and the reality of resurrection challenged me in a lot of areas, including the environment, social justice issues, and how I view and treat my body. Like I said before, I still struggle a LOT with exercise and food issues, but realizing that God made my body and loves it helps me so much, reminding me that I am not a disembodied mind/spirit who happens to be living in a shell of throwaway muscle and blood and bone. My body is as much “me” as my mind and spirit are.
I haven’t read the book, just enjoy your blog. Here’s my comment: Balance.