“For in Him we live, and move, and have our being.”

Acts 17:28

I read that verse, tried to skim over it, thinking I’d grasped its significance, and something pulled me back to it three times. Finally, I got the message, slowed down, and read it with an open mind and heart. 

My thoughts perked, my body alerted, and I went still, letting my thoughts scramble and settle into place.  It was an interesting ride that led me to some unexpected conclusions I want to share in the hope that you’ll find some benefit from them!

Conclusions

We’re all busy.  Responsibilities and duties at work and home eat at the lion’s share of our time.  Then there are our extracurricular activities.  If the kids are small, there are even more.  And even if they’re grown and gone, we’re still looking out for them, for the grandchildren, and so on.

For years, people thought because I work at home that I had tons of free time.  Actually, there was less than when I worked in the corporate world.  There, I could leave the office and take tidbits of work home if necessary.  Working at home, I’m immersed in work all the time.  Having a 2-4 page “To-Do List” was normal.  The only down time was when I put my foot down and took it.

Eventually, I learned to work from a priority list.  Top of it each day was reading my Bible.  I woke up early to do it, before the  family’s day began, so I could focus intently.  This was my time with God, and at first, it was hard to focus.  My mind wanted to race ahead to all I had to do that day.  But I stayed put with it, and soon looked forward to it.  It finally dawned on me that this one-on-one time set the tone for my day.  The family, too, noticed the difference.  I was calmer, more patient—for me, I felt more balanced and less frantic about all that needed to be done.

Understanding that living in Him, putting Him first, dawned.  Feeding the spirit is living in Him and that nourishes emotionally, and both nourish us physically. 

 In him we move…

There’s physical, emotional, and spiritual movement. 

Our thoughts and circumstance lead us to move based on emotion, but we’re instructed to temper emotion with logic.  The heart and the head move, and when they are harmonious, we make the best decisions, take the best actions.  We are created with logic and reason for purpose.  To temper our emotional reactions and incorporate reason and logic and good judgment before acting.  When we do, we are moving in Him, using the tools He provided us to affect the best outcomes.

Admittedly, one part of this, in stages of my life, I ignored.  Physical movement.  I just couldn’t get up any earlier, stay up any later, shave any more time from my schedule to incorporate physical exercise.  Even the thought of it was overwhelming.  Needless to say, I’ve paid for that mindset.

Our bodies were made to move.  They require it to function properly, and to keep functioning properly.  Not on one front but on all fronts. 

I’m late to the party in realizing this, but I’m making headway, and I’ve accepted that if I don’t take care of me, I won’t be able to take care of anyone else. 

Physical movement isn’t a luxury, it’s essential.  The mind and body work better, the thoughts are elevated, and all of those things work together for our good.

I hope that none of you are as resistant to this as I was.  I was wrong.  I pay for that.  Adopt your favorite physical activity, be it walking or working out at the gym, swimming or whatever, and enjoy the perks of it—and avoid the challenges of avoiding it.

No matter our responsibilities, our obligations, our desires, we must accept that if we are in harmony with Acts 17:28, we are doing what we can to ensure we’re in our best physical, emotional, and spiritual help to fulfill them.

I’m sure there are more conclusions to be drawn here, but I hope these are helpful to you.  And as I discover, I’ll share.

Blessings,

Vicki Hinze