For a long time, I thought faith and fitness had nothing to do with each other.
Faith was about the soul.
Fitness was about the body.
And in the Christian circles I came up in, the body was often treated like an afterthought. A “temporary tent” we’d eventually shed once we got our glorified body in heaven.
But over time—and especially in this new chapter of my life—I’ve come to see things differently.
What if the body isn’t a throwaway?
What if our physical health is part of our spiritual alignment?
What if movement is sacred?
What if there’s a deeper connection between body and soul that we’ve overlooked?
A Fitness Journey Reignited
For me, it all started with a daddy-daughter dance in late 2013.
It was fun, but I was on the struggle bus. My dress pants were so tight that night, I swear that if I had moved wrong, the button would’ve put someone’s eye out. Without even realizing it, thanks to my daily uniform of jeans & baggy t-shirts, I had become quite overweight.
Really didn’t set in until the pictures from that night came back. I looked at the picture and didn’t recognize myself.
I had always seen myself as the skinny kid who couldn’t put on weight to save his life. So to be in this predicament came as a shock to my system.
That led me to embark upon a major weight loss journey in 2014. I bought a fitness tracker and indoor bike, which I rode religiously every day after work. I even tracked every bit of food that went in my mouth. As a result, I dropped over 60 pounds and started taking my health seriously.
Fast forward to 2019, I furthered that motivation by becoming a certified personal trainer and nutrition coach, with the hopes of making a career change from tech to fitness.
But life happened.
Family life. Unresolved grief. A shift in priorities.
And slowly, my body became something I ignored again.
But recently, that changed.
Fitness has come back into focus… but this time, not as a project to fix or a body to shrink. It has returned as something spiritual. Something sacred.
The Mindset That Subtly Held Me Back
Before I share how my fitness became a spiritual practice, let’s sidestep and talk about what led me to view the two as separate.
There’s a belief in a lot of Christian spaces that our bodies don’t really matter. When Yeshua returns we’ll get “new ones,” so why worry too much about this one?
How did we get there when the Bible says so many things to the contrary?
It tells us that gluttony is frowned upon. Our bodies are temples for God’s spirit. The apostle Paul frequently used athletic metaphors & imagery in his letters. We are called to be good stewards of what God has given us. I could go on… but you get the point.
Here’s the thing… the Kingdom of God isn’t some far-off future reality. It’s here. It’s right now. We’ve been given these bodies as instruments of divine love, alignment, and service. The book The Fit Shall Inherit the Earth: A Theology of Sport and Fitness by Erik W. Dailey really helped solidify this understanding for me by showing me just how important our bodies are to living out our calling.
Think about it…
How can I show up as my best self & fulfill my God-given purpose if I’m inflamed, sluggish, or in pain? I can’t show up. Not for my family, church, community—or even for God.
Instead, I’ve likely become the burden, the very opposite of being helpful. I burden the healthcare system with chronic disease & illnesses. I burden my friends & family with those same ailments & their need to care for me. And down the line it goes… to the church, community, and ultimately God.
If my goal is to love and serve well, then how I treat my body matters. My health & fitness give me the capacity & strength to have greater impact.
Alignment Starts in the Body
So let’s talk about how things shifted for me. It started with listening to my body.
Our bodies are always speaking, but how often do we slow down and listen to the message? We stick to the diet and ignore our hunger. We push through and work out anyway, even though we are tired. Eating that meal, knowing good and well that it’s going to give us indigestion later. You know exactly what I’m talking about.
When you start listening, you learn that your body tells you exactly what it needs. It’s usually the first line of defense to let us know when our body is out of alignment. Stiff shoulders and neck when I’m carrying excess stress. Gut issues when my emotions are off-center. Aches & pains when I’m spiritually out of sync.
Those messages start in the body, but it trickles into the other parts of life. I get brain fog. I’m unnecessarily cranky with my wife & kids. I have a harder time silencing my mental chatter to connect to God through prayer & meditation. Everything gets out of balance.
When the body is out of alignment, so is everything else.
But there’s a simple solution I’ve found that brings it all back in order.
Sacred Strength is the Answer
Movement. Whether it’s resistance band training, cycling, walking barefoot, or even breathing deeply, it all brings me back into alignment.
It clears my stagnant energy. It regulates my nervous system. It helps me become a clearer channel to hear from God.
Simple movement has become the conduit that helps me maintain balance and deepen my connection to God and others. You see, fitness has become less about transformation—and more about transmission.
While I still care about losing weight & being in the best shape possible, it’s no longer for vanity’s sake; it’s so I can be a force by which others get to experience God’s love and grace. The more grounded and regulated I feel in my body, the more divine presence I can hold. The more capacity I have to love, serve, and create.
That’s what I mean when I say: The fit shall inherit the earth.
It’s not about aesthetics. It’s about availability and divine connection. The more aligned I feel in my body, the clearer I hear from God.
Alignment Over Performance
This isn’t a call to get shredded or obsessed with performance. It’s a call to honor your body as the sacred vessel it is. You don’t need to live at the gym. But maybe it’s time to ask:
How is my body trying to bring me back into alignment?
Thanks for reading… and if this resonates, I’d love to invite you to join me in The Living Room, my free community for exploring soul-aligned living in the Aquarian Age.
Until next time, stay grounded. Stay open. Stay aligned.