Invest in your physical fitness and eat a balanced diet, if for no other reason, because you love your family.
2. Your Mental Health Is Inextricably Tied to Your Physical Health.
As I said above, there is nothing you can do about the fact that you just had to pastor through a pandemic or that a new election cycle is seemingly always looming, each one more inane than the last. However, if you are physically healthy, regularly exercising and eating well, you will have a greater capacity to regulate your stress and emotions amid these challenges.
And that’s because the health of our minds is inextricably connected to the health of our bodies. When you’re not well, you’re not likely to feel well. What’s more is that our physical and mental health are also connected to our spiritual health.
That’s why Paul told the Thessalonian church, “May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 5:23).
On a practical level, your mental health will be boosted when you discover that you can climb a flight of stairs without breaking a sweat, that your clothes fit better, and that you haven’t fallen into a food coma after lunch. These new realities will likely galvanize you, giving you enthusiasm for the important work you do as a pastor.
Your mind, your heart, and your soul are likely to be invigorated by virtue of your body being healthier.
3. You’ll Be More Effective in Ministry if You Aren’t Hampered by Unnecessary Health Concerns.
It’s difficult to avoid the fact that if you suffer from chronic fatigue or physical limitations due to injury or disease, your ministry will be negatively impacted. You will likely be less emotionally present for your people. Your mind will be less sharp, which means poorer decision making, and likely less insightful sermons. Your weekly schedule may be interrupted by an unusually high number of doctor visits or all-too-frequent sick days.
Focusing on your physical fitness through balanced nutrition and regular exercise will help stave off some of these things.
Now, some health concerns are unavoidable. Illness and injury are an inevitable part of living in our fallen world. Even if you live a healthy lifestyle, you may still get cancer. Even if you do functional exercise every week, you may still step off a curb and tear your ACL. These things happen.
In other words, please don’t take me to mean that if you suffer an injury or illness that keeps you from doing everything you wish you could be doing in ministry that you are morally culpable. Further, it is not outside the scope of God’s power and grace to use the very thing that you feel hampers your ministry to bring glory to his name in a way that you could not have otherwise imagined. Paul is our prime example of that (see 2 Corinthians 12:7-10).
Nevertheless, there are things we can do to decrease the likelihood that we will be hampered unnecessarily by disease and other health concerns. Be faithful to do those things.
Where To Start
If you haven’t been to the gym since you played baseball in high school, and you aren’t even sure how to put together a nutrition plan that will be in any way healthy, it can feel daunting.
