Sharpening the Body, Mind, Heart, and Soul 

When sharpening the body, I don’t think of weight immediately, but muscle and strength. How much endurance it takes for me to move from one task to another physically. Sometimes my mind is willing. My heart says yes. My soul rejoices. But my body says no, not doing it. My body says I’m tired. There’s not enough energy in my bones to do whatever it is I need to do. That’s when my body needs sharpening. What about you? When does your body need sharpening? Not sure. Here’s an example of what happens to me.

My body desires to stay in bed just a bit longer. So, I overeat sugary snacks or the entire bag of chips. I don’t want to hit the yoga mat, take a three- or four-mile walk. I don’t even want to cook. My body needs sharpening when I linger, unfocused with an utterly unproductive day. And not on purpose.

I’m the type of person who plans everything, even a do-nothing day, a bedhead day, a productive rest day. No agenda. Sleep until I wake. Eat leftover. Lounge on the couch. Walk two hours. Take a nap in the middle of the day. I might read an entire book cover to cover. Cook two or three meals. Order pizza, or get a small, delectable cup of crafted ice cream. Get pampered with a spa mani-pedi, or tour TJ Maxx. See, that’s a rested day. A day when I’m sharpening my body, I’m not worried about beating the clock. A stress-free day without running from here to there or trying to speed through two projects when I know I can only do one at a time.

When I’m running from here to there and juggling multiple projects, I’m overloaded. Let’s take my first year in seminary. I forgot that yes, I could juggle and balance very well, but God had called me to a new season, and in this new season, some things had to be shelved. So, during my first year, I was on fast forward. And then it happened, I wanted to stay in bed a bit longer. Just thinking about what was on my plate was suffocating.

Dr. Richard Swenson offers some insight, which could be used as a measuring rod for when the body needs sharpening. Living in the margin. The margin is a “gap between rest and exhaustion between breathing freely and suffocating.” The body needs sharpening when you don’t have enough energy to sustain the load. Dr. Swenson’s formula is power – load = margin. It’s about the emotional energy, physical energy, time, and finances draining your battery. In other words, you are overloaded.

Another measuring rod to determine when your body needs sharpening would be Simone Biles and Naomi Osaka. These young athletes said enough is enough. They don’t have enough emotional or physical energy to keep going without having some breakdown. Yet, they have achieved much and refuse to carry the heavy burden of competition on their necks and in their bodies.

The body is complex. The body has an inside and an outside that needs tender loving care. And when it’s overloaded, weighed down with a heavy burden, and it feels as though it is suffocating well, it just wants to do nothing. That’s perhaps when the body needs sharpening.

Matthew 11:29-30 reads, “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (NSRV).

This verse is telling us to recover and rest in our relationship with Jesus. We need to learn the unforced rhythms of grace. We, you and I, need to learn to be gentle with ourselves. We need to keep company with the rules of the Master, not worldly rules and laws and expectations. Nope, when we are in a relationship with Jesus, we will learn to live freely and lightly.

I admit when I presuppose my own rules, stack my calendar, juggle too many projects and feel as though I’m suffocating, I know then without a shadow of a doubt that my body needs sharpening. And I humbly look to Jesus for the sharpening because his rhythm is good and valuable, comfortable and gracious.

I pray, you too, are sharpening the body with rest and renewal.

Until next time,

Angela

Source: Margin, Restoring Emotional, Physical, Financial, and Time Reserves to Overloaded Lives

Tags body, faith, off the hooks, rest, sharpening the saw, tired