I had a problem with my body
We are always becoming a certain type of person through the stories we believe about others and the world.
These stories have such gravitational pull that they influence what we habitually do or don’t do.
What is the main problem? We are usually not aware of these beliefs that are forming us into a kind of person; they are often irreflexive and implicit in the way we live our lives.
One clear example of how these implicit beliefs shape the way we see the world can be found in our conception of spirituality.
During and after the Enlightenment period (around 1650-1800), many Christians started to develop an idea of what it meant to be spiritual: being spiritual is in the mind, that is, having the right morality and the right doctrine. Therefore, if one wanted to battle the sin of the flesh, they needed to have more elevated ideas about God by reading Scripture or knowing more about theology. This led many to embrace a “disembodied spirituality”, that is to say, a spirituality that over-emphasizes rational introspection. But this was not always the most prevalent framework.
In fact, prior to the Enlightenment, the conception of spirituality most believers had was body-based: It was an “embodied spirituality”.
There is a brother struggling with physical impurity? “He needs to fast and rest physically". Some people refer to this idea by saying, “you cannot fix the mind with the mind." Put differently, you can "fix the mind with the body."
One of the greatest realizations in my spiritual journey was becoming convinced that a great deal of my escapist behavior or sin—using bodily pleasures to numb my pain and anxiety such as binge eating or adult content—was due to my lack of rest and excess hurry and busyness. I have done violence to my soul by endless activities and to-do lists. I had a mind-based and an activity-based spirituality.
What did I miss? The body.
When learning more about the theology of the body, I started implementing different body-based practices to combat my anxiety and my impurity: I started resting one day a week, also known as Sabbath, and I tried sleeping 7-8 hours. I also deleted all social media from the phone I carry with me and limited how many projects I was working on at once
Through these decisions made by faith, I opened myself up to God in unprecedented ways and He shaped me into a more loving person. I realized that rest is a spiritual necessity, not a luxury of the upper-middle class.
Becoming more spiritual did not just mean to know more Bible verses or organizing more Bible studies to help people get to know Christ. It also meant the rewiring of my brain, the calming of my nervous system, and reducing the inflammation in my body.
We have an embodied spirituality and our bodies, not just our minds, are the temple of the Holy Spirit. I can say that my life is slowly but steadily reflecting more and more the Fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).
Now I strive to optimize my life to "love more", not “do more”. Now when a brother tells me he is struggling with depression and impurity, I ask him if he is resting enough and eating nutritious food. I no longer tell people to just memorize more Bible verses and be open with his sin, although these are essential for a thriving spiritual life. There is no need to overcorrect. Each case and each person is unique. But I think that we will be more aligned with the Scriptures if we take into account our body, not just our minds or endless activities.
Now I finish my days tired, but it is a “good tired”. Before I was always living in a chronic state of “dangerous tired”.
