Holistic Training

This morning as I was running I was reflecting on the race I’d run the day before and the subsequent pain I felt as a result of it.  I woke up early today, determined to get my run in before we went to serve at church.  I had been texting my friend who had done the race with me, sharing the misery of pain we felt from our adventure yesterday.  As I drove home from running I continued to think about the fact I was pushing myself even though I knew it would be painful, the aches in my back and shoulder a testimony to the effort I put forth.

I got the image of clay that was being molded.  I was reminded of the scripture that says, “Yet you, LORD, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand” (Isaiah 64:8).  Just like the physical training I was doing to reshape and mold my body is painful, so is the molding that takes place when we engage in spiritual training.

We can train our body by being disciplined enough to exercise and eat well.  Likewise, we can exercise our spirit by reading the Bible, praying, worshiping, serving, fasting, and meditating.  These activities may be difficult and challenging, often putting us outside of our comfort zone.  Similar to the dedication a runner gives to training, a Christian must commit time and energy to staying spiritually fit.  The process will not be easy and may be painful at times, but the results will be a transformed life.

As I thought about how much energy and time I’m committing to my physical health, I realized I do not always give the same amount of devotion to maintaining my spiritual health.  Lately I’ve been able to spend time in prayer and solitude while running. I find that I always feel refreshed and renewed, physically and spiritually, after I’ve engaged in both spiritual and physical training. Hebrews 12:11 says, “For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it”.

Just like I’ve taken small steps each day to push myself harder to get physically fit, I am encouraged that small changes in my spiritual life will also yield tremendous rewards.I hope today you can consider what small changes you can make in your life to engage in spiritual training.  Do you think you would benefit from becoming committed to a spiritual fitness routine?  What is holding you back from training yourself to be spiritually disciplined? How can you overcome the obstacles that keep you from drawing closer to Christ?

A few additional scriptures to ponder:

“For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come” (1 Timothy 4:8).