As I have written about before, there was a time when my thoughts were
consumed with training and nutrition. I was always worrying about not training the right way,
or not eating enough, or eating too much, or eating the "wrong" things, or
looking small or not being lean enough...it was craziness.
And then one day God opened up my eyes and
made me realize that I was pursuing all the wrong things...I still remember the
specific moment that it dawned on me that fitness had become an idol in my
life. How had it become an idol? Well, it was what consumed my life, what I was spending most of my time
and effort thinking about and striving for. It was what I thought about
constantly, what I read about, what I stressed about. From that moment on, my outlook changed. I realized that none of it matters. Yes, being healthy and fit is a good thing while here on earth, but having the perfect body should NOT be the main goal of our lives, yet so many of us get caught up in it!
When I come to the end of my life and think about what I did with my time here on earth, when I answer to God, I don’t want to say that I spent most of my time and energy working to get bigger biceps or nice abs… No, the whole purpose of our lives is to glorify God and to live for Him! And we do that by loving and serving others and by pursuing a deeper relationship with Him above all else. How can we do that if we are obsessed with ourselves?
I share this only to help anyone who may be experiencing the same thing I was in regards to training and nutrition. Don't stress yourself out about being on
the perfect training or nutrition plan. Don’t stress yourself out about getting
your abs to show or your biceps to grow. These things are not bad goals to have,
but just don’t let them become all that matters to you, or what you think will
bring you happiness or fulfillment…because it won’t! Be healthy, be strong, but most importantly just have fun! Remember what really
matters in the end…and it’s not those 6 pack abs you're striving for.As much as I want to inspire and motivate others to take care of their bodies, more than that, I want to point people to Christ. Because in the end, He is all that matters. It's important to be healthy and strong...but it's not what's most important.
Not many people are willing to speak about idols we have in our lives. So happy to read this and that you help share in recognizing that idols are not just what we normally think about from the old days.. Great post and very happy in how you have overcome with His guidance!
ReplyDeleteThank you! So many things can become idols that we don't even realize. I'm so glad that God helped me to see what I was putting before my relationship with Him!
DeleteI agree. Even the cell phone and internet can be an idol so easily. I have been learning and seeing a lot myself on these things recently. Always a work in progress to become better. :-)
ReplyDeleteNeal A Maxwell was quoting Wiliam Law, a 18th century clergyman when he made this comment. It would be nice to give credit to William Law instead of Neal A Maxwell.
ReplyDelete