Consider with me, dear reader, the value of exercise. Walking is a fabulous form of physical activity, and requires no equipment. Strength training, using body weight as a form of resistance, is yet another way to get, and stay, in good shape, meaning all your body parts stay were they were originally placed, resisting the pull of gravity.
Why don't more people engage in physical activity? Do you have an answer for this question? People get up, shower, shave, get dressed, brush their hair and teeth, make their way to work, all while using their bodies to accomplish tasks; and yet, it seems the thought of exercise is repugnant to most people, when asked about their exercise routine. Eating habits are commonly a shame filled subject: overindulgence leads to self-deprecating thoughts and feelings, with a consistent monologue of negative comments directed internally at one's own character and being. We think badly of ourselves when we feel out of control, and when we decide to do something about the situation, it is a relief when we commit, and get results. Thankfully, our bodies are designed for exertion, and if this were not the case, we would not be able to get up and go, to work, to airports, to parks and playgrounds.
I am particularly fond of the effects of resistance training using body weight, or free weights. I have seen reconfiguring happening in my clients when they start the process of strengthening their bodies, one workout at a time. It is outstanding to see, what half an hour twice a week can do for the commit to fit clients I work with; that isn't our subject though, dear reader. What you just finished reading is a prelude, a setting up of a theme, that I am calling strength training the soul. We will intertwine the concepts since the body and soul are intricately, intimately united.
How does one go about strength training the soul? Let's pare this theme in slices that can be easily digested.
1. Commit to truth telling. The soul, like the body, needs to be exercised. Lies misshape, causing malfunctioning. Truth aligns our insides and outsides. For instance, if I tell myself a lie, then repeat it to you, our foundation will be shaky, and our trust factor will shift with every bit of information exchanged. Physically, if I tell myself that donuts eaten daily, or fries consumed Fridays, minus any form of exercise, will not make me fat, then I am fibbing while adding flub to my gut. If I take you along for the food fun, and we both agree there is nothing wrong with what we consume, then we are colluding with one another while encouraging unhealthy habits. Lies told, lies shared, lies unquestioned, form a web of deception that traps the pretenders and holds them captive.
Honesty about consequences is the only way out of this type of trap. What we speak and do, ought to be true, and when we commit to truth telling, we are forced to take responsibility for outcomes, physically, emotionally, spiritually. Truth telling can be a painful experience initially: it means we no longer have excuses or romantic/sentimental explanations for things we have said and done. Truth telling is a form of confession for sins committed. It is worth the suffering of shame to come clean as a truth embracer and teller.
2. Commit to character development. Integrity is admirable, and when someone has this character trait, they can trust themselves to be themselves, no matter where they are, who they are talking to, or interacting with. A person of integrity is trustworthy, dependable, decisive, and has a clear conscience. Doing what is right when everything is going wrong; choosing to take what is known as the high road, when retaliation and recompense are demanding to be satisfied, suggests that a person has integrity. Jesus did not bend or bow to the demands of his persecutors, nor did his apostles and disciples. I always appreciate these men of valour, these godly examples of un-compromised integrity! It does not take courage to display integrity, all one needs is commitment, to truth, and strength is gained with every flex of this spiritual muscle.
3. Do not compromise. Man alive, this one is a challenge well worth the internal duel. Compromise is crippling, and our society with its, You do you mantra, gives us the impression that we must accept, It is what it is (another common sentiment repeated ad nauseam). I say, So be it. So be it, dear reader, is definitive. So be it is final. So be it means, that if you and I are committed to truth, committed to living lives of integrity, we will accept that not everyone feels or thinks as we do. This does not mean we agree with their "version of truth", or that we "agree to disagree", it means that we stop, look, read, interpret, comprehend, and digest the differences we are witnessing, and then decide to proceed from there, without letting loose the grip we have on truth. In other words, we do not weaken our stance and begin to limp, in order to make someone else feel more comfortable in their wobbling.
During the covid crisis, there was much embracing of lies bought and sold. Characters were compromised and corrupted, because fraud was consumed quickly, like fast food empty calorie full meal deals, The road to truth is paved with shards of emotional and spiritual glass, strewn in front of us, like bottles broken and smashed by each of us as individuals, and each of us as parts of the collective. It is painful, soul shattering, to think of the anguish covid has caused. Our only prospect of healing the hurt is truth, un-compromised, and never sullied by insipid lies. Covid caused a cancer that festers, and it is a sign and symptom of a sickly society. Covid must not be given any quarter; it must not be granted a reprieve: covid has been cuddled and coddled, and somehow excused as a witness, despite its being the vehicle of mass murder. Compromising on this truth is unacceptable, because it is a lie told and repeated too many times, and acts as a block to the freeing of conscience.
4. Pay attention to your conscience. We know right from wrong, and that is why we lie; I read this idea long ago, and I have to agree. We lie to ourselves and others when what we want, is not what we ought to have. I may want to eat and drink without counting the calorie cost to my body, but that is not what I ought to do. I may want to avoid and evade responsibility to God by pretending I have done nothing wrong and have no sins to confess, but that, would be a lie, and my conscience will be pricked and pester me, causing a low grade emotional fever, if I don't come clean. Conscience is a gift from God that assists in character development: conscience is our personal character strength trainer, and when listened to, those lie shards of broken glass on our path, get swept up and tossed in a garbage can, never to be seen again. When we are honest, there is a purity that starts to shine through ... grin, this is such a lovely thought, isn't it, dear reader?
Of course, strength training the soul is not a 1-4 step-by-step process, it is more like a minute-by-minute string of choices we make, based on the circumstances we find ourselves in. The bottom line, is truth telling, without compromise, builds character, and strengthens our trust factor, giving us a sense of wholeness and integrity that is trustworthy.
I want to be trusted and I want to trust, don't you, dear one?
Jesus is my model of excellence, and he is known as the Truth. Imagine that, being known as a truth teller ... grin again, that is a goal worth setting and embracing.
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