Getting Back in Shape (with Jesus)

Proverbs 4:20-27 "(20) My son, pay attention to what I say; turn your ear to my words. (21) Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; (22) for they are life to those who find them and health to one's whole body. (23) Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. (24) Keep your mouth free of perversity; keep corrupt talk far from your lips. (25) Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you. (26) Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways. (27) Do not turn to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil."

A couple times a week, my friend and I go walking in the mornings. We just began meeting recently, before our days start and we have to go to work. We often talk about getting healthier and sometimes how we've strayed over time from taking care of our body the best we can.

The comment was made in one of our recent conversations, "I don't know how we woke up one day and had gained so much weight." That's how it happens right? Through small decisions, little by little, it adds up. Now, also through small decisions, we're trying to get back on track.

Straying away can also happen on our journey with Jesus. Have you ever noticed that if you skip church one Sunday, you don't feel as guilty for skipping the following week? Or, if your friends gossip when they're all together, it just seems part of your conversation next time? If you're too tired to study scripture one night and you put down your Bible, will it collect dust or will you make time to read it the next day? Small decisions have the potential to lead us farther and farther away, to the point where wake up one day and wonder how we got there.

When I studied the Proverbs reading after our walk this morning, I was reminded of our fitness conversations. Our goal for fitness is for our whole body to become healthy and we do that by how we treat it daily. Our goal with Jesus is to make sure we're consistently walking towards Him.

In Proverbs, it mentions all the small things on our journey that contribute to our overall spiritual health. Feed your heart through listening to the words and teachings (20) and don't overlook them (21). The word of God not only teaches us how to live, but gives us life between the pages and shows us how we can be made whole (22). Like the importance of keeping our heart physically health, it's also equally important to purify our hearts since it guides all decisions, who we are, and how we treat others (23). Our small decisions like what we say (24), what we view and how we view it (25), and what path we walk (26) all contribute to our spiritual health. If we focus on keeping God at the center, not straying away (27) we'll continue walking towards Him.

Straying away can be simple and unnoticed, like eating a double cheeseburger instead of preparing a fresh meal. We sometimes stray away because it's easier and more convenient. Don't we do the same with our decisions around God? We get off track from keeping God at the center of our path, little by little. Just like we focus on building all parts of the body to stay healthy, we have to focus on all the things that contribute to keeping our faith healthy.

If you find yourself "a little off the path", pivot your small steps to start walking towards Jesus. It's time to get back in shape!