By Kimberly Bloom, Character Strength Department Editor
John Wooden, UCLA basketball coach once said, “The true test of a man’s character is what he does when no one is watching.” The body—your body is an amazing thing. Being on the Faith & Fitness Magazine team I get to hear about and see the tremendous progress that many of you, both men and women, make. You work hard. As you lift, sweat and breath heavy you are on a journey pushing through pain, analyzing your reflection and posing to present your best body to the world.
Is that your moment of glory? Is the reflection your ministry? There should be another reason for your painstaking efforts of tearing down your old man and building new muscle. There is another reason for your dedication to your body. For goodness sake find that reason, that deeper purpose for glory. Actually not just for goodness sake but more importantly for others’ sake.
In the Bible God describes meekness and the self-humbling attitude of Christ. It says, “do nothing out of rivalry or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than you.” Sure, your body is indeed yours. You can do with it whatever you will. You may say to yourself, “Ok, God made my body, but I perfected it”. However, all you’re pimped-out body parts, your high-performing physique, your improved health, your better outlook on life … none of it has enduring value until you surrender it to God. Doctors may grant you a clean bill of health and others may follow you, dote on you, buy your pictures, celebrate your accomplishments and elevate you way higher than you can imagine. Judges may vote you to be the best.
Take a break from that way of thinking. Consider a reality where God is the ultimate authority on faith and fitness. You likely recognize His character as judge. While you may find His judgments to be demanding and of such high standard that they seem unattainable you really need to find His grace, compassion and provision for hope and purpose. God’s character certainly is judge but it is also one of healer, instructor, friend and lover. No amount of self-improvement alters his judgment nor does it determine His measure of grace or depth of love for you.
If you misunderstand this nature of God (and many do) you may conclude that physical training and spiritual living are totally disconnected – no associations should be made. You may say, “Why bother?” Taken yet a step further the true character of God is construed to justify overeating, laziness and total disregard for the physical until that hope of heavenly redemption one day comes.
You have a greater purpose – give of yourself to others.
Instead discover that your character becomes God’s character when no one is watching. You have a purpose. You have been uniquely designed to grow stronger and bare more than your own weight. How? Give to others the same effort you put into yourself each day.
Who are those ‘others’? They are your neighbor, children, spouse, parent, siblings, elderly, the lonely, homeless, orphan, your co-workers — anyone and everyone you encounter.
When you expand your view this way then all of a sudden health, diet, fitness, training and bodybuilding gain new and deeper meaning. You can find abundant opportunities to use your magnificent body, show “what you’re made of” and be an influence not of your greatness but of God’s goodness.
For a time I served as the director of a shelter for homeless women. I always had heavy-duty lifting, moving and hard work that needed to be done. What I needed – what these women needed was someone to volunteer, bring some muscle, character and compassion and get that hard work and heavy lifting done.
There is someone out there today that needs you to get personal. They don’t need an award-winning performance and quite honestly they’re not interested in lusting after your beautiful body. Compared to you they may be unfit and stressed-out. Now is the time for you to stop living-the-life and simply BE LIFE. THIS is your moment of glory.
