Do we have a duty to be fit?

In this post I am writing, once again, about the intersection of the physical, mental, and spiritual aspects of our lives. But this time, I am turning from broader philosophical explanation to a very practical application: I believe that the interaction between the spiritual and physical planes means we have a spiritual duty to be physically fit.

Now, I need to add in a few disclaimers here. First, I realize I am in my early twenties and genetically gifted, and fitness is a good bit easier for me than it is for a lot of people. So when I say “physically fit,” that needs to be scaled by each person to their abilities.

Secondly, I need to clarify that, although there is a spiritual component to physical fitness, this does not at all mean that being physically fit should be one’s primary spiritual focus, or that one should base one’s self-worth on one’s fitness. I recently read an article by a bodybuilder who snapped one of his chest muscles during a bench press; he was so ashamed of not being able to lift that he didn’t leave his apartment for weeks. This standard of worth is not only unhealthy; it’s just flat out wrong, for reasons I don’t have space to explain here.

On to my main point. If the physical and spiritual dimensions are not two independent sectors of our lives, but rather two dimensions of every aspect of our lives, it stands to reason that physical health has some sort of spiritual aspect. It has, in fact, several basic spiritual qualities: it promotes discipline, perseverance, commitment, self-control, and so on. It adds beauty and character and health to the world overall. It is a way of glorifying God by exulting in and taking full advantage of the remarkable capabilities he has given the human body.

More than that, physical development is a shadow of character development; both follow the same underlying pattern. In both areas, people start out with different strengths and different levels of aptitude, and sometimes major disabilities, but generally, choice wins the day, though it takes large amounts of dedication over long periods of time, even with setbacks, to see results. This actually gets into some rather deep questions about natural hierarchy, nature vs nurture, and free will, but I will take those up in later posts.

For now, I want to finish by pointing out two facts that I think we in the church often forget in our rush to be compassionate and nonjudgmental. First, while we often talk about good stewardship of mental talents, spiritual gifts, or material resources, we forget about genetic and physical capabilities. But utilizing these is just as important.

When I spoke of scaling one’s definition of physical fitness, I wasn’t just talking about scaling it down to accommodate disabilities. Sometimes we need to scale up. To whom much is given, much is required, and using one’s natural ability to skate by instead of to excel is rarely morally praiseworthy (though of course, priorities need to be maintained). Not everyone needs to take up powerlifting, but I would highly recommend finding whatever niche you are good at and making some improvements.

Second, while we all spend a great deal of time reassuring each other that ‘it’s what’s on the inside that counts,’ what is on the inside will inevitably influence what’s on the outside. Appearances matter. They don’t matter nearly as much as content, but they’re not irrelevant. If you take care of yourself, it speaks to your willpower. It speaks to your self-control. And it speaks to your professionalism and maturity. The correlation isn’t direct, but it’s there.

Even if you think it shouldn’t be that way, if you want people to listen to you, your image matters. You should take care of it just for practicality’s sake, as I have previously mentioned that I do. But I would encourage you not to do merely that. I would encourage you to go out and learn the joy of having pushed your body, your mind, and your spirit to new limits in service of something greater than yourself. If we can’t do that, I’m not sure what we’re here for.

“Deluxe Plyobox” by stroopsmma is licensed under CC BY 2.0