It may be easier to adhere to clean eating and exercise our body than it is to pray consistently and exercise our faith.  The former allows us to rely on measurable tools of food content and muscle movement — in a manner that is mathematically precise.  If you do it precisely (that is without cheating), you are guaranteed see the tangible results in a prescribed amount of time.  But faith often yields its rewards in unseen channels and manifests its good in dimensions that we are not capable of seeing with human eyes.  One discipline allows us to honor our body temples more directly; the other  catapults us beyond the restrictions of our physical boxes, so that we can tap into a universe without boundaries.  Physical fitness allows us to clean out the toxins; spiritual fitness allows us to expand our consciousness.  Physical fitness allows us to create an awesome temple for worship; spiritual fitness allows us to create a sacred center for the soul.  But both provide the cornerstone of our salvation.  One without the other cannot succeed — for long.

When we take care of the Spirit, we take care of the body.  We are guided to do what’s best for our health, and we listen.   We don’t worry about what other people will think; what role models to use; or what direction to take.  We don’t worry where God is leading us because when we are spiritually fit, we know that we have already arrived.

The Centurion had “arrived” when he told Jesus that one of his servants was paralyzed, and Jesus said that’s okay, I will go to him and heal him.  You see, the Centurion said, no, I prefer that we do this another way.  I know that all you have to do Jesus is speak the word — and your will shall be done (Matthew 8:13).  Jesus was taken aback at the Centurion’s faith.  The Centurion was spiritually fit.  So Jesus said to him: “Go your way, and as you have believed . . . let it be done for you.”  In other words, when you can stand on your faith, believe your thoughts, and trust yourself — you will find that everything comes together for your greatest good.

Learning to trust oneself is an important component to spiritual fitness.  We only develop it when we incorporate a daily routine that allows us to tap into the unlimited power of our own creative potential.  We need to incorporate a daily diet of trust — trusting our choice, trusting our wisdom, trusting our instincts.  We need a daily drink that gives us an invincible fearlessness and a bold conviction.  We need a daily supplement so powerful that we need not worry about other people’s approval, other’s people’s acceptance, other people’s stuff.

If we worry about pleasing other people — being at their beck and call, surrendering to their every whim, dressing the way they want us to dress, partnering with the type of person that they want us to be with, having the kind of life-style that they want us to have — then we completely lose track of what Spirit is calling us to express.

We need to exercise our faith, our fortitude and our focus with the discipline, determination and drive that keeps us aligned with the good that flows from Spirit’s infinite reservoir of gifts and talents.  Only then will we become open and receptive to life’s inexhaustible channels of good.

We have to exercise our understanding that God doesn’t make junk until it becomes part of our physical and spiritual make-up.  God gets it right.  God is a good God — and God expressing uniquely as who we are in the flesh is a great thing.  We have to exercise our ability to stand in the wisdom that God gave us and be lifted in the truth that Spirit constantly teaches us.  We have to exercise giving way to a divine source that loves us completely and unconditionally.  We have to exercise taking charge of our lives.  We have to exercise our ability to make the best decisions that could ever be made.

Spiritual fitness will always open the door to physical fitness by revealing what we need to do and creating the optimum way to get it done.  Spiritual fitness alone gives us the ability be in charge of our lives.  When we feel spiritual boldness and courage — made fit by consistent exercise of our prayer muscle and a deep commitment to our faith, we know that we are here on this planet, at this time, in this particular space — to let our lights shine.  We know with a deep-seated confidence that we definitely “got the right stuff.”  We know that we cannot lose with what we use.  We begin to walk — without trepidation — on the water of life.  But most importantly, we accept who we are in our most, simple, healthy humble form and begin to witness the sanctity of Spirit.  We trust ourselves.

Namaste, Reverend Cecilia Loving (www.spiritmuv.com)

 (All of the materials in SPIRITMUV email messages are copyrighted by and may not be used without the written permission of Cecilia Loving. )

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