I know I don’t look it now, and this might take some stretching of the imagination, but I did P90x with my roommate back in medical school. I admit I cheated a little (a lot) with my diet, but I stuck to the workouts for the whole three months. Of course I wanted to be healthier, but a bigger motivation was that I wanted to be able to keep up with the college students on the basketball court. Now that I’m married, I don’t care nearly as much about my basketball prowess (which is fast declining). If I can just keep my BMI in the normal range, that would be good enough for me. It does hurt more than just a little inside when I get my butt kicked by high schoolers.

It’s amazing how much energy and effort we put into our physically bodies that will continue to decay, but give so little thought to training our spirits, which will last for all eternity. Paul says in 1 Timothy 4:7b-8 “Rather, train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.” The  NASB actually says “for bodily discipline is only of little profit.” Obviously, as a physician, I think we should take care of our physical bodies. But in the big picture, what happens to my earthly body is of little consequence comapared to the state of my soul.

How is your spiritual health? Are you taking care of your soul, watching what you “eat” and taking the time to “exercise?” We may have the best six-pack and the most amazing calves, but that’s going to mean very little if we are spiritual couch potatoes. Maybe it’s time for a check-up.