Beloved,
As fallen creatures, we are always prone to extremes. How many theological errors are the result of overemphasizing one truth at the expense of another? And how many practical errors arise from the same tendency? For as long as I can remember, I’ve struggled with extremes in relation to my physical health. On the one end of the spectrum is indifference, and on the other end is idolatry.
Rewind to my college years, and you would have met a Nick who drank a Venti Frappuccino from Starbucks most mornings, ate a nearly endless diet of highly processed food, and skimped big time on sleep . Looking back, it is nothing short of a miracle that I am still alive! It is proof of just how resilient God designed our bodies to be. The college-aged Nick was indifferent about bodily health. You are welcome to call me a slob.
That would change somewhat after meeting Tessa. After all, what are the chances of a girl like her marrying a slob? I began to care more about diet and exercise as our relationship unfolded. But it wasn’t until I realized I had a gluten sensitivity years later that I began to really care about these things. Why? Because when I cut gluten out of my diet, it literally changed my life. No more chronic fatigue. No more brain fog. Much less anxiety and depression. I came to realize that the maxim, “You are what you eat,” is not entirely false. But with that realization came a fixation on physical health and fitness. I began to read ingredient labels at the grocery store and turn my nose up at the sight of seed oil and Red 40. I’d witness someone with a cart full of Lucky Charms and Mountain Dew at Walmart, and I’d thank God I wasn’t like them. I’d stand in front of the mirror regularly, flexing my newfound, albeit small, biceps. Getting eight hours of sleep became more of a priority than serving my family. I swung from indifference to idolatry. I went from being a slob to a slave.
It took me quite a long time to find a healthy middle between those two extremes. What is that middle? Not a bodily slob or a bodily slave, but a bodily steward. My body belongs to Jesus Christ. It belongs to Him by virtue of creation, and it doubly belongs to Him by virtue of redemption. It is not to be an object of worship, but an instrument for worshiping Him! And if it is going to be a fit instrument, I need to care for it well.
Last year I finally felt I had come to this place of caring about my body without being consumed by my body. But then, when my bloodwork revealed some health problems in October, I found myself suddenly doing a lot of reading, thinking, praying, and consulting about my body. I noticed an alarming shift back from being a steward to a slave. And honestly, I’m still working through it. But I continue bringing my mind and heart back to the biblical concept of stewardship. That is what this is all about. Not living forever. Not feeling amazing. Not looking buff. I want to care for the body He has given me so that I might serve Him well for as long as He wills on this earth.
In my experience, no two Christians fall in exactly the same place on this spectrum between bodily indifference and bodily idolatry. But we must all strive to avoid the two poles by preaching to ourselves and to each other that we are stewards. “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body” (1 Cor. 6:19–20).
Yours in Christ,
Pastor Nick