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?
2 Corinthians 13:5 (NIV)
This verse reminds us of the importance of self-examination on our faith journey. It’s essential to take a step back and evaluate our spiritual health regularly, just as we do with our physical health.
We often assess our physical fitness by means of challenging ourselves to lift something heavy or push to go farther or faster. Your annual doctor visit includes a variety of tests to assess your physical health. But do you take the time to assess your spiritual health? Do you spend quiet time for introspection and self-examination?
Some questions that might help with this self-examination:
- Am I spending time in God’s word and prayer regularly?
- Am I loving others as Christ loves me?
- Am I growing in my relationship with God?
- Am I bearing the fruit of the Spirit?
- Am I living a life that honors God?
- Am I using my gifts and talents to serve others?
As we take the time to examine ourselves and answer these questions honestly, we can identify areas in our spiritual lives that need improvement. Just as we work to strengthen weak muscles in our bodies, we can work to strengthen our spiritual “muscles” through intentional practices such as prayer, Bible reading, and serving others.
As you can see, there are many parallels between our faith and fitness. Once you have your spiritual foundation, the best approach to living a sustainable, healthy life is to integrate the two. When you do this you can embrace your age and stage of life and be the woman God created you to be.
Action Step
Take some time for self-examination today. Ask yourself the questions above. Spend time in prayer asking for God’s help and guidance in your life. You need to be spiritually healthy so that you can build the rest of your life on that faith.
