We have A LOT of responsibilities in life. None of which are possible without the ability to wake up each day with a spiritual heart and a body ready to serve. We all agree that the most important responsibility of our daily life is to take care of our spiritual health. Without this, we decline and fail in our greatest responsibility to be the messengers we are called to be.

Health and fitness are also a huge responsibility. In fact, if we do not take care of the body we have been gifted with, we will fail in our spiritual health as well. Being fit calls us to be ready to serve others physically when it is time to help build a house for the poor, clear a yard of storm debris, run a race to raise funds for the local food pantry. Good nutrition supports the daily exercise so that we can be consistent in our efforts to be healthy.

Feeding the body healthy foods along with daily fitness changes our bodies not only physically but mentally as well. People who exercise regularly have better mental health and emotional well-being, and lower rates of mental illness. Studies have shown that exercise can reduce the risk of developing mental illness and help treat some mental health conditions, like depression and anxiety.

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.

– Romans 12:1

Just like our spiritual health, we need to make a point to take out some time for our physical health. Without good health fed by good nutrition, we risk the very purpose of getting up daily to be physically able and mentally ready to serve others. We are gifted this life and these bodies and we are meant to serve others with our minds, bodies, and spirit!

Marcia K. Gibney,
Director of Recreation Ministry