It has taken me some time, but I have found that faith, fitness, and nutrition are interwoven and deeply connected. The three are linked more than we might assume. This discovery occurred three years ago when I found myself in a difficult state. My mindset was all wrong, I hated my body, I judged myself harshly, and fell into eating disorders. After about five years of this mistreatment of my body and mind, I finally recognized I needed a powerful shift in my life.

As a broken and desperate mess, I fell before God and cried out for change. He saw me, held me, and restored me. His lovingkindness revealed an idea I never previously considered. He uncovered the link between how I treated my body and how I grew in my faith. God told me that in order for me to get closer to Him, I must refuse to harm his creation.

The extent of my physical and mental transformation would not have occurred without this critical realization. When I came to this realization, I was lost and hurting. My inner being was shattered and distraught. Although I longed to grow in my faith daily, my actions declared the opposite. I would overindulge and eat to excess. I was a mess, judging my body, comparing it with others', and allowing harmful thoughts to grow deeper and deeper.

Slowly, almost unconsciously, I fell into a pattern of mistreating my body with eating disorders. The guilt crept inside me day in and day out. My morning devotionals were unfulfilling and my prayers seemed desperate. I prayed the Lord would strengthen me and renew my life, but my true mindset was off. I prayed for a passion to love others, but I wasn't loving myself. I prayed for power to overcome situations, yet I would binge, purge, and harm the very thing that He entrusted to me – my body. I prayed for growth in my walk with the Lord, yet my actions were preventing me from maturing. My actions prevented me for truly seeing any positive change. I held onto them tightly; they gave me control. In reality, they were the ones controlling me.

I found myself falling further and further. I knew that if I truly wanted to let God be the Lord of my life, I had to treat him with respect. And that meant loving myself – inside and out – for he so carefully and intentionally created me.

"Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies." - 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

With my head over the toilet bowl, tears streaming down my face, I cried out to the Lord in pure surrender. He picked me up off the ground and directed me to search His Word. As I read 1 Corinthians 6, my heart broke. I knew I needed an undeniable reason to begin treating my body with respect; my, oh my, did God deliver. These verses became the foundation on which I built my journey in health and fitness. The wording was exactly what I needed to kickstart my new mindset. I desired to grow in my faith, and that meant understanding God’s will and obeying him.

1 Corinthians 6 preaches that our bodies are holy temples where the Lord resides. He fills the holes in our hearts and creates a dwelling place there. When we become Christians, we surrender our full selves to His will; that means that our bodies belong to the living God. He dwells in us. When we mistreat our bodies, we are mistreating our God and his home. When we choose to succumb to eating disorders, lack of exercise, and harmful thoughts, we deny the holiness of our beings. He created each one of us in his likeness. As we fall into negative self-image and harm ourselves, we are, in-turn, telling God we don't think his creation is good enough. Instead, we need to believe that he created us to be powerful, loving humans. He created us and made us holy. He created us to treat our bodies with respect for which we are respecting God’s Spirit. We need to accept this beautiful fact and live accordingly.

I choose to live in such a way that honors him. For me, that means challenging my body physically, fueling it with the foods it needs, and loving each and every part of it. I choose to train my body as I train my faith. Challenges, both physically and mentally, prepare me and mature me. I choose to grow - in mind, in body, in faith. I choose to no longer succumb to the pressures that once took my joy; rather, I trust Him to give me strength to overcome them. I choose to believe that God created me for a purpose, and I can worship him in my daily living. I choose to love him with my body.  

"So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." - 1 Corinthians 10:31

This is one of the most straight-forward verses relating to the conduct of our bodies. It proclaims that our bodies, and the way we use them, is a form of worship to the Lord. Whether we eat, or drink, or workout, or run, or lift, or do anything, we do it to bring glory to our Creator. The use of God's creation brings him glory. Using his creation properly and with purpose – that is where we should aim. Do you eat with intention? Do you eat food that is respectful and fueling rather than detrimental and destroying? Do you exercise out of regard for the Creator’s perfect design? Do you exercises knowing it is healthy to do so? Do you admire your body for its intricacies and uniqueness? Do you challenge it to prosper in all circumstances? 

When we appreciate our bodies we are no longer putting a barrier between God and us. We break down the wall of disrespect and build a bridge to his grace and love. Our bodies are His craftsmanship, so we should perform actions that glorify his name rather than degrade it. We show thankfulness for our bodies through actions encouraging them to grow. God didn't create us to destroy our bodies, but to use them as living sacrifices, as a way of worship, as a source of reverence. We are called to worship him in everything we do. Do you choose life? Do you choose to adequately express your admiration to God?

I choose to worship him in my workouts, in my nutrition, in my love, in my life. I will worship him with my entire being.

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Michelle is a fitness and faith blogger with a mission to encourage women to live their healthiest and happiest lives by conquering their fitness goals and growing their faith. She shares at-home workouts, motivational messages, and health tips to foster growth and empowerment. Her fitness and faith guides, Dumbbells And Devotions and Dumbbells & Devotions 2.0, have been used by over 800+ women and transformed lives inside and out. They developed from her passion to create a positive and uplifting program for women across the world. Follow her insta handle and website!