Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Spiritually Flabby

It's been a while since I posted here and since I am rapidly picking up other writing venues I think it behooves me to get something out on each of them as regularly as possible. That said, I noticed a piece of news on Yahoo! about fixing the flab on the back of your arms. Now, if you're a skinny person who's never had to hold your arm steady so as not to get smacked in the face, then this probably wouldn't be an article that drew your attention. I, on the other hand, have some seriously problematic arm-droopage; therefore, I was intrigued. 

Apparently they did a study on several different arm toning exercises. They even used "...electromyographic electrodes on the back of each subject's upper arm to record real-time muscle activity." The results revealed (sorry if you were going to go read the whole article) that the triangle push-up is indeed the best way to shape your arms (or at least eliminate some of the jiggle). That set me wondering, what if we were more concerned with our Spiritual flab than our muffin-tops and cellulite? What would that "exercise" look like?


Perhaps the better question there is, how do we know if we are Spiritually flabby? If we are allowing the fat of the world to encompass the muscle of His Word? I suspect the answer is easier than we realize. Here's a checklist to help you ascertain your level of Spiritual flabbiness:

1. When I wake up in the morning my first thought is about God.
2. I pray throughout the day even over little things.
3. I am eager to open His Word daily.
4. I don't just attend church I worship and engage there.
5. Verses pop into my head and I find myself quoting Scripture in regular conversation.
6. I feel lost if I haven't been actively engaged with the Father each day.

Someone who answers Yes to all six of these questions is eligible for the World's Strongest Spiritual Human Award. However, if you noted some No's, then your Spiritual being is in danger of rolls, cellulose that will keep you externally warm but Spiritually cold. He's not down with that middle ground either; remember He'll vomit out those of us who test on the luke-warm level. So how do you get your Spiritual life back in optimal health? Well, just switch up the language in the checklist:

1. I will make God first on my mind when I wake up.
2. I will pray without ceasing, even over minute stuff.
3. I will open and read my Bible each day.
4. I will make church attendance more about Him and less about the social aspect.
5. I will familiarize myself with Scripture so that I can think His thoughts.
6. I won't miss an opportunity to spend time with my Savior.

As a chubby lady (I'm trying not to offend) I realize the value in physical well being; but as a follower of
Christ, it seems infinitely more important to me to be with Him. Besides, when we start letting our lives and worlds revolve around Him, the worldly pleasures (i.e. chocolate chip cookies and Reese's cups) become less important and distracting. Therefore, it's quite probable that if you'll do a lot more time lifting your Bible and doing prayer push-ups your jello might dissipate too.