Focus on Faith

 What is your focus? As fitness enthusiasts, we may have uttered the words “I’m focusing on x, y, and z” which is a funny statement because how can you focus on multiple things? I’m sure we've all heard someone say they are multitasking and while we can do it, its best to single task to be the most effective and productive.

The same applies to our fitness. The best way to get better at something is to focus on practicing that movement. That means choosing one thing to work on, making time to work on it and getting the time under your belt practicing.

While fitness is a great passion to have because taking care of our bodies is important, it is a focus that lacks fulfillment and it can be taken away from us. It reminds me of the scripture in the Bible that God will transform our lowly bodies into glory when he returns, that right now our fitness is nothing in comparison to what we will be transformed into.

He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control. Philippians 3:21

So while fitness and taking care of our health is beneficial, our ultimate focus should be on our faith and our relationship with the Lord.

Does your fitness have center stage in your life, or does Jesus? That might be a difficult question to ask and to be honest with yourself about but for many of us, myself included, fitness has had its place on the throne of my heart and center stage of my life.

Like the Bible says, you cannot serve two gods, so either faith or fitness is your focus. If faith has center stage in your life, then fitness comes second. If fitness has center stage in your life, then naturally faith takes second place. What is the driver of your life going to be? To be as fit, fast, strong, as possible? Or do you want the focal point of your life to be faith? Is being strong in the Lord your focus?

I spent the majority of my life with myself and fitness as center stage in my life. I can personally attest that even at the peak of my career in bodybuilding: being the leanest in my life, winning my pro card, and placing top 3 in two world championships, I was still unhappy and unfulfilled. I thought being that lean and placing well would make me happy, but as I was on stage being handed my trophy, I realized I was wrong. Now at this point in my life, I have spent enough time focusing on myself, and self-centered pursuits and I am desiring to live for the will of God.

For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do—living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry. As a result, they do not live the rest of their earthly lives for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God. 1 Peter 4:2-3

Making Faith your Focus

How much time do you devote to training and nutrition? In comparison, how much time do you spend reading/studying the Bible, praying, communicating with God, memorizing scripture, meditating on scripture, serving in church, being a part of a small group, having a mentor?


How you spend your time is a reflection of what is important to you and what is a priority for you. If faith truly is important to you, how you spend your time will reflect that: you will make sacrifices to spend time with the Lord, like getting up earlier to read the Bible, pray and spend time with God. Put some muscles behind your faith, be about what you talk about. I bet you make sacrifices for your fitness: getting up early to get in cardio, a training session, making time to train after work, making time to prep meals. Make time with the Lord as important, if not more than your health and fitness. LIVE out your faith, be about it don’t just talk about it.

  • Try this: For every hour that you spend in the gym working out, spend an hour in quiet time with the Lord
  • Try this: Spend more time at the gym investing in others: get to know others, help them put away their weights and their barbell
  • Try this: Consider how you spend your time, do you NEED to train 6 days a week? Will training 5 days a week break your health and fitness? If you aren’t already in a bible study, devote that 6th day of training, to training your spiritual health: join a bible study group. 

Make faith your focus, worship HIM as King of Kings and Lord of Lords, not Fitness, not performance. Fitness and performance are not a good king to worship. Give HIM center stage in your life.

-Charissa

Charissa is a Certified Fitness Specialist, Certified Personal Trainer, and holds a B.S. in Kinesiology. She also holds an M.A. in Higher Education Administration. She is a follower of Jesus, passionate about faith, fitness, nutrition, a lifestyle of total health, coffee, meditating, learning and growing!


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