“I have the right to do anything,” you say – but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”- but I will not be mastered by anything.” 1 Corinthians 6:12
There are two words that every new mom dreads.
Bathing suit.
While not explicitly stated, when my sister-in-law asked me to be in her wedding – in Florida and by the beach – those two words were exactly what I heard. Holding my one-year-old on my hip, I envisioned stuffing my post-pregnancy belly into a strapless bridesmaid dress. The mental image was less than flattering.
My three-year-old was running circles around me at the time – typical behavior when I’m trying to have an adult conversation – and laughing as if to say, “You think you’re gonna do what? Good luck with that one!”
But I was determined. I vowed to lose the rest of the baby weight, get in amazing shape, and do whatever it would take to get my pre-pregnancy body back.
For the next five months, some might say I was a little “obsessed.” I worked out for over an hour a day and followed a strict meal plan. I cut out all refined sugars, eliminated caffeine, and passed on the pizza at parties. When her wedding day arrived, I received lots of compliments about how “amazing” I looked. My husband must have agreed because I came home from that trip pregnant with baby number three.
Two weeks later, after experiencing heavy bleeding, I was diagnosed with a subchorionic hematoma, deemed a high-risk pregnancy, and directed to halt all physical activity. At 33 weeks, I went into labor, was hospitalized to stop the contractions, and sent home on strict bed rest for the remainder of my pregnancy.
When I was given the green light to exercise three months after my son was born, I was starting from ground zero. This time, God showed me that I needed to approach taking care of my health differently. He taught me that if I wanted to change my habits, I would need to start by changing the way I think about them.
It began with renewing my perspective from fitness and nutrition as vehicles to achieve the perfect body to fitness and nutrition as opportunities to glorify God by caring for the body He gifted to me.
As I started to view my body as a temple of the Holy Spirit, I began to treat it that way, focusing on life-giving foods that helped me operate at my best without counting every calorie that went into my mouth.
God revealed that in letting my thoughts and actions revolve around when I would work out or what I would eat, I had made my body an idol. I needed to break free from the obsession so I could focus more on Him. As I put Christ at the center of my health journey, it became less about perfecting myself and more about living to please Him. This shift in mindset has had a tremendous impact.
In the words of Beth Moore, “The ultimate goal for most of us, however, is freedom from obsession so that God rather than the body can be glorified. This goal is most often realized through recapturing the lost art of moderation. This means learning to do what we need to do (to keep ourselves healthy) and then getting on with living.”1
When we seek our self-worth, personal fulfillment, or happiness in something other than the Lord our God, we’ve allowed that thing to take an inappropriate position of power in our lives that should be reserved for Him. 1 Corinthians 6:12 tells us “I have the right to do anything,” you say – but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything” – but I will not be mastered by anything.”
We have the “right” to eat anything we want and we have the “right” to exercise. However, while something may be permissible, it may not be beneficial. And while something may be beneficial, it may be unnecessary – even unhealthy – if taken to extremes.
Christ in Me
Take a moment to listen to the song, Christ In Me, paying particular attention to verses 1 and 2 below:
[Verse 1]
In this obsession with
The things this world says make us happy
Can’t see the slaves we are
In all the searching all the grasping
Like we deserve much more
Than all these blessings we’re holding
So now I’m running free
Into an ocean of mercy unending
[Verse 2]
Done with what holds me down
The things I once was chasing after
Throw off these heavy chains
That I have let become my master
So now I’m running free
Into an ocean of mercy unending
Caring for our health shouldn’t feel like a burden – it should feel “free.” We can choose to let go of the diet mentality and focus on life-giving choices. We can choose to let go of obsessing over every bite of food, becoming slaves to a number on a scale, and constantly chasing perfection. Doing so is an obsession and is actually unhealthy.
Here are a few tips to simplify your health, find freedom with food and fitness, and stay focused on Christ in the process:
Have a strong WHY for improving your health that is about more than physical appearance. Consider how positive lifestyle habits will allow you to operate at your best so you can give your best to God and others.
Exercise regularly, but not obsessively. Start small with a few minutes a day and build from there. Focus on progress, not perfection and consistency over performance. As you build new habits, focus on what you will do, not what you can do. Daily wins build momentum and fuel you to keep going!
Focus on consuming nutrient-dense, life-giving foods (not pre-packaged or highly processed).
Adopt an abundance mindset that is focused on the benefits of a healthy lifestyle, such as more energy, decreased chance of disease, a closer relationship with God, and improved quality of life. Shifting our focus to what we are gaining and our health as an opportunity to glorify Him sets a foundation for sustainable change.
As we begin to make small steps toward a healthier lifestyle, we must not neglect the importance of regular quiet time for our emotional and spiritual well-being. We can commit our plans to the Lord, asking Him for the strength to keep going when we’re lacking in motivation. Then we place our eating, exercising, and everything we do before God as an offering, honoring Him through caring for the body He has given each of us.
“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” 1 Corinthians 10:31
Properly fueling our body, mind, and spirit is a means to live with purpose to pursue God’s plan for our lives. When we keep that perspective, we can rest in the fact that our priorities are well-aligned. We can stop obsessing over things this world says make us happy and focus on the one thing that brings true fulfillment.
References:
- Moore, Beth. (1998). Living Beyond Yourself: Exploring the Fruit of the Spirit. Nashville, TN: LifeWay Press.
This is an updated edition of a post originally published on Jen Roland
Featured Image by Samantha Gades on Unsplash
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