What comes to mind when you think of fitness? When I think of fitness, my mind automatically goes to a gym scene where there is lots of grunting and sweating as men and women are going crazy lifting weights and doing cardio. Think of the dedication it takes to achieve six-pack abs or to be very muscular throughout your body. To achieve this, one must be very disciplined with their diet and commit to a strict workout routine, unless you have ridiculous genetic advantages. I have been working out for over ten years and eating a balanced diet for about three. Even with all the hard work and dedication on my part, I still do not have some of the muscle that I would like to have. Sometimes it is frustrating because you feel as though you are putting in all this time and effort only to get very slow results. In time, however, you slowly start to see the muscles growing and appearing to be more prominent. I want to compare this example to spiritual fitness. To me, spiritual fitness is when you are healthy mentally and disciplined spiritually. When you start on the path of becoming spiritually fit, you will feel at times as though no progress is being made. Over time, you will start to see the growth in the way you think, how you respond to things and people, how much time you spend in your word, praying, filling your mind with positive content, the way you talk, and the people you hang around.
I personally believe that if your only physically fit but you neglect your spirit and mind, then your fitness is meaningless. First of all, it takes a high amount of mental strength to get yourself to workout each day, but where does your mental strength come from? I believe it comes from a strong spirit and a healthy soul. Let me put this into perspective, if you're mentally run down and wore out, it usually robs you of the energy you need to take care of yourself and to even have good relationships with others. You cannot have healthy relationships with others if you first do not have a healthy relationship with yourself. When your spirit is healthy and whole, then it will feed your mind with healthy thoughts and energy, which will give you a sense of overall power and strength which will leak over into your physical life as well.
The best ways to start getting yourself on the path of being spiritually fit include: daily prayer, reading the Bible, fellowship with other believers, listening to music that feeds your spirit, watching shows that do not hinder your spirit, reading good books by other believers, listening to inspiring and motivating audios or YouTube videos, filtering out anyone or anything that is toxic to your spiritual growth, meditation or yoga, fasting, and overall developing a trust and faith in God that guides you daily.
Remember, this is not an overnight achievement, just as physical fitness is not achieved overnight. Consistency is key in anything that you do in life. Practice makes perfect. The more you do it, the more it will become a ritual and will eventually feel like second nature. Be strong, be healthy, be spiritually fit.
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