To an extent, there’s a lot I can learn about spiritual health from physical fitness. I’ve been trying to get back into shape, now being 8 months postpartum. It’s not easy. While breastfeeding, I was insatiably hungry all the time and could literally eat anything I wanted and still lose weight. As I wean, that’s less and less the case and I’m reminded what it’s like for the normal person. After so long, it feels weird to have to “train” my body to like eating healthy foods and exercise regularly. But the hardest part is to start. Once I did, the more I do it, the more I wanna do it. And the less appetite I have for junk and sedentariness. 

Spiritually speaking, also, we have one stomach, or one heart I should say. From the heart comes desire, all kinds of desires. But desire for one thing comes at the expense of another. The more we desire God, the less we desire the world. But the more we desire the world, the less we desire God. For me, I see it’s as simple as watching one more useless Youtube video when deep down I know that what my heart really wants is not Youtube candy but the Word of God bibimbap. Yet the more I choose the candy, the less appealing the bibimbap appears to me. The former ruins the appetite for the real deal. 

The past week, I’ve also been quite sick. It gave me an excuse to stop my discipline and go back. Not that I really wanted to, but it was just the easier thing to do. I have had little motivation to seek God in the morning or to read my bible because sleep was calling. I need sleep, yes. But my point is, there will always be “reasons” to stop. As Joshua puts it whenever he doesn’t wanna go to the gym: “Do you follow the rule or the exception?” And then he musters all his strength to change and hit the gym. So this morning, I lay in bed as my alarm went off and said to myself, “Follow the rule”. Not promoting legalism here – a true resolution or decision of faith made before God, the Lord loves. Like Daniel who resolved not to defile himself with the royal food, God used to win the favour of all those around Daniel, even the king, to the glory of God. One small decision of faith to seek the Lord, to grow in appetite for him, is everything. 

So just start. One no to the world is one yes to God. It’ll be worth every bite you saved your appetite for.