Move Your Body

“The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’

Acts 17:24-28b

Moving Our Body is... Spiritual?

Picture a tree......Your life is that tree.... each of the limbs is what you do with your body, or your "Contemplative Practices".

There are different types of "contemplative practices". On each of the limbs the tree we can see "general practices" on each limb, like Relational Practices, Ritual Practices, Stillness Practices, and Service Practices. and in the midst of these overtly spiritual topics is also "Movement Practices". This particular limb included activities listed on its branches such as stretching, dancing, and walking meditation. Knowing that what we do with our body can impact the health of our soul and spirit should put smile on your face.

Where Do I Start?

How do you "enjoy" moving your body? Inside? Outside? Maybe running or walking or riding a bike outside. For me... while exercise is important to me, and I often experience God while I’m exercising, this needs to be different. In fact, the more I can distance this outdoor movement of my body from the idea of exercising (that is to say, toward some specific goal of distance traveled, calories burned, or time elapsed) the more contemplative, or prayerful, the movement becomes.

This type of prayerful movement opens a door to my heart and my soul. Sometimes it is running that opens the door. In fact, I have been running and found myself crying uncontrollably as emotions rise to the surface, along with the sweat that drenches my skin. And, like that sweat and the tears, the anguish at the root of the emotion falls away onto the sidewalk as my body presses on. Other times, however, my soul opens wide as I pull weeds from the garden, or spread mulch beneath the bushes at my home.

What Can You Do?

I believe our bodies were made to move — whatever we can move, for as long as we can move it. I feel the sun beat down on my shoulders as I tug at the roots of an obstinate weed and I cannot help but thank God for shoulders that move, knees that bend, lungs that expand, and thumbs for grabbing and tugging. All of it comes from God: the sunshine, the dandelions, and the bodies we’ve been given as packaging for our soul. We live, move, and have our being in him alone. When my limbs ache after a weekend of shoveling or digging or reaching or bending, I thank God for the ache and its reminder to me of this gift of movement and presence of God in the midst of it all.

QUESTION TO CONSIDER:

(A friend asked me this question the other day, and now I pass it on to you): What is one spiritual practice that is helping you or healing you in your spiritual day-to-day?

PRAYER:

God, thank you for giving me a body that moves, even if doesn’t move quite the way it used to, or the way I wish it would. Thank you for the parts of my body that are healthy and strong. Help me to care properly for the parts of my body that are weaker, or more fragile. Don’t let me take movement for granted, Lord, and thank you for all the times you meet me there. Amen.