Made For Motion
by Randy Robison
Week of September 26, 2004
“Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go
well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.” (3 John 1:2, NIV)
When God created mankind, He fashioned an amazingly resilient, complex biological machine. Throughout history, man has sought to unravel the mysteries of our own bodies. Even with the massive scientific gains of the last century, there is still much that we do not know.
But there is one thing that we do know, even if we don’t fully understand it: Our bodies were made for motion.
Modern society hosts an environment that is unique in the history of humanity. Now, more than ever, we can exist, and even thrive, with little daily movement. Airplanes and automobiles move us around the world while we remain sedentary. The internet, telephone and television allow us to communicate globally without moving more than our hands and mouths. Education is largely static. A large percentage of the workforce conducts business with little physical movement. For many of us, the most exercise we get is walking to and from the car to our office.
This lack of exercise, combined with an inadequate or unbalanced diet, has led to a wide range of health issues. Obesity and diabetes are rampant, even among children. Surgical procedures such as knee and hip replacements continue to increase in number. Never before have so many people been so out of shape!
Recently, I interview fitness trainer and host of the Walk Away the Pounds series Leslie Sansone. She says, “One of the biggest gifts God gave us was this gorgeous feeling of not only empowerment, but coping and peace that exercise brings us. And no drug, no pill, nothing takes the place of what our natural body produces when we are in motion, because God's design for muscle and bone is to be active. We're meant to be active, physical, spiritual beings and when we're in motion we are happier, healthier, more creative, and smarter.”
While the physical benefits of exercise are well known, medical science has also discovered emotional and psychological benefits as well.
“Test it yourself,” Sansone challenges. “If you've been sitting at your computer for hours and you can feel the drain of the energy just coming down and your creativity is down, get up and do a brisk walk for four or five minutes. I'm going to tell you you're a whole new person. You can cope again. You can think clearly again. The movement and circulation of body fluids and blood make our brain healthy. Exercise is just like oxygen; it is so critical to life. God built us and designed us for that specifically. “
As we strive to present our bodies as living sacrifices to the Lord, let’s give Him our best. By getting our bodies in motion, we improve our physical and emotional health. By giving Him our best, we also improve our spiritual health.
So get up and get moving!
This Week
Identify the things you enjoy doing that involve physical activity, such as walking, cycling, or swimming. Commit to yourself and to the Lord to improve your “temple” by putting your body into motion. Try meditating on scripture while you work out.
Prayer
"Lord, help me to take care of the body You’ve given me. As I step out in faith to improve my health, give me strength and motivation to glorify You through my body."
Read Randy’s interview with Leslie Sansone.
