Today's National Post has the fifth in a five-part series about obesity, dieting, and the like. Today's had to do with keeping the weight off once you've lost it and it quotes experts who say you almost have to be "obsessive" about it in order to succeed.
I know what they mean. A few false steps and the weight starts to come back on again instead of coming off. For the past two weeks, I gained a pound a week instead of losing a pound a week, which had been my game plan. So last Saturday I pulled myself up by the scruff of my neck and got back on the program again, strictly and obsessively, and lo and behold when I climbed onto the scales again this morning I found evidence that I was on the right track again.
All this is introductory to a thought which occurred to me last night when I was doing my workout in front of the TV. Essentially it was that verse which says something like "bodily exercise has some benefit, but spiritual exercise (or was it godliness?) is beneficial in all ways." (I'll have to look that one up when I have time and get the quote right.)
Anyhow, as I stood there (well, jogged there or marched there, I forget which) I wondered to myself, "what does it mean to exercise oneself spiritually" and what occurred to me was that it means to exercise faith. If you're forever living according to what your five senses tell you--in other words just like all the non-Christians in the world--you'll get fat and out of shape spiritually. Your faith will be small and when trouble comes along you'll be knocked flat. (Been there...like recently). But if you go against the tendency to give in to temptation and realize that God really is there watching this and that I really will be rewarded many times over if I'm faithful--and if you keep doing that over and over--then your faith with start to grow, and grow.
So that's what I've been resolving to do: "to walk by faith, and not by sight." I'm tired of being a "90-pound weakling" kind of a Christian (you have to have been familiar with the old Charles Atlas body building ads to get that reference).
Anyhow, my lunch break's over and this is going to get posted now!
Ta ta for now.
I know what they mean. A few false steps and the weight starts to come back on again instead of coming off. For the past two weeks, I gained a pound a week instead of losing a pound a week, which had been my game plan. So last Saturday I pulled myself up by the scruff of my neck and got back on the program again, strictly and obsessively, and lo and behold when I climbed onto the scales again this morning I found evidence that I was on the right track again.
All this is introductory to a thought which occurred to me last night when I was doing my workout in front of the TV. Essentially it was that verse which says something like "bodily exercise has some benefit, but spiritual exercise (or was it godliness?) is beneficial in all ways." (I'll have to look that one up when I have time and get the quote right.)
Anyhow, as I stood there (well, jogged there or marched there, I forget which) I wondered to myself, "what does it mean to exercise oneself spiritually" and what occurred to me was that it means to exercise faith. If you're forever living according to what your five senses tell you--in other words just like all the non-Christians in the world--you'll get fat and out of shape spiritually. Your faith will be small and when trouble comes along you'll be knocked flat. (Been there...like recently). But if you go against the tendency to give in to temptation and realize that God really is there watching this and that I really will be rewarded many times over if I'm faithful--and if you keep doing that over and over--then your faith with start to grow, and grow.
So that's what I've been resolving to do: "to walk by faith, and not by sight." I'm tired of being a "90-pound weakling" kind of a Christian (you have to have been familiar with the old Charles Atlas body building ads to get that reference).
Anyhow, my lunch break's over and this is going to get posted now!
Ta ta for now.
posted by Ted | 8:42 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home