I’m going to start exercising. I just ran an unknown distance at a moderate pace utilizing the toe-strike gait until my calves gave out. There are lots of good reasons to exercise, from the obvious physical benefits to the psychological ones, but one reason that intrigues me is the impact it could have on my spiritual well-being.
I’ve known people who’ve toyed with this idea before; this guy named Mike at my old church in Davis had a group called “C.O.R.E.” (I don’t remember what it stood for) that would meet up a few times a week to exercise, and then spend time in the Word. The idea behind this group was that physical transformation should accompany / mirror / supplement / reinforce spiritual transformation. As they grew and matured spiritually, exercising their heart and mind through scriptural reading and meditation, they would grow and mature physically by way of physical exercise. It’s an interesting idea.
I’ve been learning at Ekko that the Jews would reinforce their scriptural readings with tangible exercises. For example, when Jewish children were learning Torah, they would recite a memorized passage, dip a finger in honey and eat it. The idea was that the physical sweetness of the honey would reinforce the notion that the Word of God was likewise sweet for our souls. With this in mind, I run and lift weights. The point is to discipline and strengthen myself physically as I discipline and strengthen myself spiritually. It just makes sense.
Anyway, I’m going to stop here now. Gonna go spend some time with God now.
