People always laugh when I say this, but I get my best ideas in the shower. This morning as I was in the shower I was thinking about where I wanted to take this blog today. I feel like God puts so many things on my heart, sometimes I don't know where to begin. So I thought I'd start with a topic I deal with personally. I grew up in a gym. My mom taught aerobics in the 80's and I can remember hanging out at Exercise World at 5 years old. I played sports my whole life and even got into boxing in college. Needless to say, I don't know how to NOT be active. It's true I love health and fitness. In talking with other people about their passion for working out and eating healthy, I've found that most do it to stay thin. There's nothing wrong with this, believe me I enjoy reaping those physical benefits as well. As a matter of fact, I probably focus on the physical part WAY too much. I've always had a body complex and even diagnosed myself with body dysmorphic disorder. Control thing? Probably. But that's another discussion. The truth is, eating healthy and exercising is a lifestyle and should be done for the right reasons.
Here's what God laid on my heart about this subject: Psalms 139:14 tells us that we "are fearfully and wonderfully made". From our complex brains down to the most simple cell in our human bodies, God created us in His image. Every single one of us were thought about before we were even conceived. We all have things we don't like about ourselves. I hate my ankles! But knowing that God made me unique and loves me just the way I am makes me want to love myself in spite of those things I may not like. I believe it pleases God when we exercise and eat well to take care of our bodies. We can prevent diabetes, hypertension, obesity, and many other illnesses by being active and watching our diet. But when we become obsessed with getting thin or building huge muscles, we risk our body becoming our god. I challenge each of you to ask yourselves what your motivation is for wanting to get or stay fit? Is it to be healthy and improve your quality of life? Or is it to satisfy an obsession with looking a certain way?
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