Our culture is obsessed with our physical bodies. Weight loss programs, diet pills, Plexus, essential oils, fitness studios, and an ever increasing list of foods that we should never eat create a drone of sounds that surround us daily as we struggle with our physical bodies. Our response is to work feverishly to look a certain way or to feel guilty that we do not measure up to our culture’s view of health and beauty. In response, some Christians make themselves sound very pious by saying that we shouldn’t care about our physical bodies and should focus simply on our spiritual life. These Christians see the spiritual life as an excuse to neglect and abuse the bodies that God has given to us.
I believe that both of those views fall far short of how we are called to see the relationship between our bodies and our souls; and misunderstanding this relationship has very practical negative consequences on our lives and choices. The motivation for caring for our physical bodies must be clear for us to ever experience peace and joy, or we will constantly experience anxiety with our health whether we are an athlete or a couch potato.
This article by Randy Maddox that examines John Wesley’s view of holistic health and healing is worth the read if you desire to lay a solid, biblical foundation for the relationship between body and and soul. It is not an easy read, but it will be worth it. Read it here.
Yours in Christ,
Jeff