Looking for the first step to a healthy body?

Hello friends! Some thoughts rolling around in my head, and again it is connected to what I am reading and learning, to where God has us. The weather is turning (at least for this past week!) and I am wondering if it will stay or we’ll go back to winter. Do you ever feel that way in your wellness journey? That roller coaster of success and then disappointment? I do. Having a baby is a wonderful thing, but it certainly takes a toll on your body and I’m not quite back to where I’d like to be. Life can be like that too. We go through a hard season, and it can be easy to get stuck in a mindset of discouragement, rather than looking ahead to what God can do.

I’m realizing, again, that my hope is not fully focused on Christ, and that is what leads to this discouragement and lack of hopefulness. A fit body comes from having a fit soul! We cannot put our hope in these earthly things, like wellness and health, or in our circumstances being how we would prefer. It’s a back and forth, up and down ride, that God does not intend for us. He longs for our souls to be anchored in truth. When we fix our eyes completely on Christ, setting our hope in His unchanging character and our eternal hope in heaven, life is steady and fixed on the Rock, even if circumstances are not. It’s hard in this self-help, get-all-you-can-get world that we live in. Life is full of distractions from the narrow way, but God’s way is always the best way for deep, lasting hope.

“…for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.” -1 Timothy 4:8 (ESV)

And so, I’m turning back to Christ for my ultimate fulfillment, even as I continue to eat well and exercise, care for my soul, and look forward to a new and hopeful season. Life might go how I hope, and it may not. But my soul is becoming more and more anchored in the One who alone can bring the fullness of joy I crave. What about you? Can you take a moment to consider where your hope lies? What outcomes are you working towards? Do they lead you to Christ and His kingdom? Do they lead you to eternal joy and hope in this life and the one to come? Exercise, nutrition, and a good life are not wrong in and of themselves. God desires good things for us. But more than that, He wants the best things for us, and we must be careful to focus on the best – seeking His kingdom rather than our own.