Is Physical Fitness My Idol?
How do you know if you're taking physical fitness too seriously? Jeremy Howard shares some thoughts to consider.
Two years ago, I listened to the audiobook version of Endure by Cameron Hanes. If you are unfamiliar with Cameron, he is an Oregonian outdoorsman and ultra runner who, until recently, worked a normal job to provide for the bills, but lived to hunt elk.
He has a fanatical discipline in his workouts because he knows if he gets an elk down in the back country miles from anywhere, it is up to him to pack that meat out. He believes God put him on this earth to hunt, and with this single-minded drive and determination, he disciplines his body to accomplish this goal.
Though I don’t know if God calls someone to hunt elk, I do believe God calls us to be excellent in what we do, and through that, we bring glory to Him and point others to Christ. I believe that exercise and physical preparation can be a means of glorifying and serving God and are necessary if we are to live our mission to the fullest.
Avoiding the Extremes
There is a risk of drifting toward extremes. On one hand, we may be tempted to obsess over fitness, appearance, and performance. We start to believe the lie that our value is intrinsically tied to how we look or our physical abilities. That can be a form of idolatry. On the other hand, we may neglect our health entirely, believing that spiritual matters are all that matter, which is also a distortion.
When I was growing up, a common derogatory remark I heard concerning physical education was that “bodily exercise profiteth little” while reaching for a donut or some other sugar-laden snack. Many in our church circles were not fit or healthy. Sometimes I wonder what some of those who made these comments and were a hundred pounds overweight could have accomplished for God with the proper balance.
My children are growing up in a different era. An Instagram society where the 15-second byte of the best view of yourself is all that matters. It is image-crazed and half of the half-naked bodies display their fitness list Christ as King while glorifying the vessel. I believe neither is glorifying to God.
God made you a body and a soul. Jesus Himself was made flesh. He healed and fed bodies. He rose in a body. We will be raised in a glorified body. Your body matters to God and should matter to you—not as a god to worship, but as a gift to steward.
