I am convinced that somewhere in every person’s brain there is a conviction to live a healthy lifestyle: to eat right, set a good sleep schedule, and start to exercise more.
You may be someone who does this currently, in which case, there is never enough of those three things to satisfy you. There are always macros to count and a new PR to hit.
You may be intimidated by exercise and the gym might be a scary place for you. Perhaps you are afraid of embarrassing yourself trying to use a new machine. Maybe life just gets in the way.
Whether or not you are currently active, let this blog encourage you to begin a routine of regular exercise. There are plenty of health benefits, yes, but what is talked about less often is the exponentially positive effect that exercise can have on your spiritual life.
Related: Do Hard Things by Steve Magness
If you are a Christian, being physically active is valuable – although biblically speaking it is not more valuable than a growing relationship with God’s word.
Still, though, how can exercise grow your faith?
- Exercise builds discipline.
Throughout the Bible, we see great stories like Noah building the ark, Samson defeating his enemies, King David killing Goliath. As we read them, we glance over the action packed verses in just a few minutes.
What we tend to neglect is the level of discipline that each of these people had in their lives. Noah built the ark one tree at a time. Samson was diligent (until he wasn’t) to keep his vow with God. King David was determined to serve Saul faithfully and shepherd his flock day in and day out until his name was called.
Discipline is the key to growing your faith and building on the foundation of Jesus Christ. The Christian life is difficult, but it becomes easier as we become faithful to read the Bible, pray, fast, give, and serve other people.
Exercise will teach you how to do the same thing over and over until it becomes easier. Take running for example. When I started running, I began with a .25 mile slow jog – and I did this distance for weeks. Why? I could not handle anything more.
Eventually, I took the risk to go to .5 miles. Then 1 mile. I got stuck at 1 mile for a little while and it took determination and grit to make it up to 2 miles. Once I broke 2 miles, the system of discipline that I built gave me enough stamina to reach 13.1 miles within a matter of weeks after that.
Discipline is a lesson that if you can implement into your life will take your faith deeper than you could ever imagine – even if it seems to start slow.
- Exercise focuses your mind.
I am sure that on a daily basis there are hundreds of thoughts that go through your head. Many of them might be about work drama, family, money, relationships, or your next great idea.
Not only that, but at any spare second you are able to be distracted by your phone or favorite TV show. Attention spans have shrunk exponentially over the past ten years.
Focusing has become harder than ever… and more important than ever. Faith requires focus in order to grow.
Exercise is one activity that forces you to be present in the moment. When you are lifting something by the skin of your teeth, I promise you that you will not be focused on the work call you have in the morning.
When you are swimming and trying to hold your breath, it is highly unlikely that you will be thinking about the dishes you still need to do.
When you are running, your thoughts become more clear as the distractions fade out. Exercise helps your mind get focused, which will increase your faith all the more.
- Exercise teaches you that growth requires hard work.
Growing endurance takes weeks, if not months – and that is if you do everything perfectly, including diet.
Related: The 1% Rule: How to Fall in Love with the Process and Achieve Your Wildest Dreams by Tommy Baker
Growing muscle takes much longer. And there are not many people on this earth that do EVERYTHING perfectly. Therefore, it takes a long time to see growth in the physical aspects of your life.
Faith is the same way. There are dry seasons, times in your life where it is a struggle to connect with God and to get into his word and prayer. There are periods that are busier and more distracting than others.
Faith, and the disciplines associated with it, are usually the first to go when life gets hard. It’s easy to find time to pray when you are not worried about anything. How about when your finances are on the line?
Exercise is one of the most effective ways to teach your brain about hard work. Paul, in multiple letters to different churches, requires Christians to work hard. For example:
Genesis 2:15 – Adam worked in the garden. We are created for work.
2 Thessalonians 3:10-12 – Those who are unwilling to work should not eat.
Colossians 3:23 – We are supposed to glorify God with our efforts.
Ephesians 2:10 – We are created for good works.
Faith without works is dead.
At least this is what James, the half brother of Jesus, teaches us.
Exercise teaches three foundational lessons that will take your faith to the next level. I understand that a lot of the time we disassociate our physical life and our spiritual life.
It becomes incredibly easy to compartmentalize our lives, placing our faith on one side (in its own box), our finances in another, our relationships far away from those, and our physical health in some distant realm in the back of our mind.
I promise you, though. Exercise and faith are related, and getting a routine in one will greatly benefit your ability to grow in another.
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