What Our Bodies Can Teach Us About Faith.
When learning about the life and ministry of Jesus and the miracles he performed. We learned that many of his miracles were related to one's physical well-being. It’s clear from his life that he saw a deep connection between one's physical and spiritual state. Yet, we often wholly separate the state of our faith and the state of our bodies. I believe God can use our bodies as a way to examine our spiritual life.
The Nose.
First, I want you to look straight ahead. What do you see?
One of the things you are actively seeing is your nose. Now take a moment to look at your nose, look down at it for a couple of seconds before looking straight ahead again. Does it stick out more than before?
The reality is that we are naturally looking at our nose all the time, quite literally every moment your eyes are open. However, our brains do this very amazing thing, and they learn to “tune the nose out.” This is so that you aren’t constantly distracted from what you actually want to look at. So, if you were to focus on a person or object close to you right now, the first thing you see isn’t your nose, but you are, in fact, seeing your nose. You’re just ignoring it without realizing it! Now you’re probably “noticing” your nose for a little bit longer and a little more than normal.
Turning to scripture, 2 Corinthians 13:5 says,
“Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test?”
Now pause and read the passage again, trying to take it in slowly.
In the exact same way, our brains tune out our noses, we spiritually “tune out” areas of our lives that are often obvious and in front of us. Jesus in Matthew 7:3-5 also said, “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” Jesus was clearly aware of people frequently missing obvious ‘planks’ in their metaphorical eyes and instead focusing on others. Maybe these people learned to tune out their ‘planks’ as we tune out our noses.
Whether its something more extreme, like a plank in your eye, or something more subtle, you are tuning out, take a moment in prayerful rumination; asking God to reveal those to you if any are present.
If you can’t think of things, you may be tuning out, here are some potential planks to jog your thoughts:
The way you speak about others in judgment
Lying about others
Knowing something you should be doing, and not doing it (i.e., baptism, small group, serving, tithing)
Taking your anger out on others (or yourself)
Not seeking the Lord before making life decisions
Placing anything above God, even something ‘good.’
Seeking to feel ‘good’ or ‘better’ over seeking holiness
Letting habits dictate your faith rather than the Holy Spirit
Even if something isn't distracting us, it can still direct some of our focus away from spiritual transformation and growth. This is a prayer for confessing such things, even if we might still be trying to figure out what we are ‘tuning out.’:
Almighty and most merciful Father,
We have erred and strayed from your ways like lost sheep, following too much the devices and desires of our own hearts: leaving undone the things we ought to have done and doing the things we ought not to have done.
We confess these sins and lay them at your feet. Have mercy on us, O Lord, for these sins. Thank you for your mercy and cleanse us of our sins that your will, not our own, may be done in our hearts.
In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Amen.
Stretching.
Next, I want you to think about the last time you worked out without stretching before or after the workout. Weren’t you super sore the next day? Or, how about if you decided you wanted to be more flexible, what would you do? You would stretch.
Stretching is a great way to decrease soreness and increase flexibility. It's a great way to wake yourself up if you are sleepy, and it can be a great way to refocus your mind when doing mentally intensive activities.
Your faith is like a muscle—it needs to be stretched. And it’s important to remember that the ways we stretch aren’t just daily habits, but regular rhythms woven into our lives. Devotions might be the first thing that comes to mind, but they’re only one of many rhythms that shape spiritual growth.
Just as you can’t become more flexible without consistently stretching, you won’t grow closer to Christ without practicing these rhythms. And just as neglecting to stretch before and after a workout can lead to soreness or injury, neglecting these rhythms can strain your relationship with Him.
Below, I will list the rhythms that, when done regularly, produce growth in a relationship with Christ. Prayerfully and potentially with a journal nearby, look at each rhythm and look at where you are, and your life at this time, and see if that rhythm is in a positive place. Keep in mind that sometimes circumstances can affect these rhythms for seasons of life. (For example, I have a toddler and a baby, so we miss small groups at times due to illness, and devotions have to get creative or be infiltrated by a hyper 2 ½ year old and a velcro 8-month-old.) So also examine your life rhythms and approach this list not with shame, but with prayer and curiosity about what God wants for you:
Personal Time with God (Devotions, Praying, Silence)
Small Group
Regular Church attendance
Service in the church
Service outside of the church
Tithing to the church
The purpose of rhythms and doing those ‘stretches’ is not so you can fully regulate your life and plan everything out. Rather its to give you a solid baseline that you can fall back on when life inevitably throws something your way that you weren't prepared for. You can't know when you are going to trip or strain a muscle, but if you are in the habit of stretching, then you will already have the tools, space, and time to address the issue before it can get worse.
Pain.
Finally, I want you to think through the saying, “If every place on your body that you touch hurts, your fingers must be broken.” I wonder if this can apply to our spiritual lives as well. For example, as you have read this, or when you are in church, or maybe when you talk about certain subjects or ideas, there are areas about the message of Christ that hurts. It might hit a deep chord that makes you feel pain inside.
To be clear, the Message of Christ should never hurt or cause pain. It can be convicting or difficult to accept, but not painful. Jesus himself says in Matthew 11:28-30: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Jesus can handle the pain we bring to him, but we sometimes make the mistake of attributing the pain to Him rather than giving the pain to Him. If the Christ you are noticing causes you pain, not conviction, check to see if it's your finger that's broken.
It can be a sign of trauma you experienced in your life, mistreatment from other Christians, or something you can’t yet identify. This is something you should explore with a pastor, mentor, or even a therapist specializing in spiritual trauma if you need. So, take some time in prayer or journaling to assess if you’ve noticed any pain areas around topics or things you’ve heard in the Church.
Almighty God,
We bless and praise Your name for giving us clarity today through these exercises.
We thank you for who you are and for how you love us.
We ask that you give us strength to take what we have learned today, all areas of conviction and growth you have revealed to us, and use the knowledge to continue to grow closer to you.
Give us the strength to continue to love you with all of our hearts, our minds, and our bodies.
In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit we pray,
Amen.