Your All-or-Nothing Mindset is Holding You Back.
Since having a baby, I've realized just how much an all-or-nothing mindset dictates so much of my life. If I can't get an hour long solo workout in at the gym, then I just won't exercise today. If my daily quiet time doesn't look like 30 minutes of set aside solo time to read the scriptures and pray, then I just won't spend time with God today. If I fall off my nutrition shortly into the week, then the whole week is a waste and I'll just wait for next Monday to get back on track. If I can't do it perfect, then I won't do it at all.
God doesn't desire our perfection, He desires our faithfulness.
Remember in Scripture when Jesus tells the parable of the talents? The master entrusts three servants with a different number of resources and he ends up praising the one who is diligent and productive with the resources entrusted to him. He says, "Well done, good and faithful servant" (Matt. 25:23).
He doesn't say "well done, good and perfect servant" or "well done, good and knowledgeable servant" - he rewards faithfulness. If it's not obvious already, the parable is illustrating what our Heavenly Father, our master, values most: faithfulness. He doesn't ask for perfection, nor does he ask for you to become puffed up with knowledge; He asks for us to be faithful to maximize the resources He's given us for His glory and the advancement of His Kingdom.
Your physical body is included in the resources He's given you. Stop. Read that again. Your physical body is a resource God has given you to use for His glory.
"So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." 1 Corinthians 10:31 (ESV)
“Your own body does not belong to you. For God has bought you with a great price. So use every part of your body to give glory back to God because He owns it.” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (TLB)
Your physical body is clearly included in the resources He's given you and caring for it glorifies God. Therefore, we are being unfaithful to steward well this resource He gave us if we do not care for our body. When you run after your God-given calling, your body goes with you. When you take care of this body and "maximize" this resource God has given you to use for His glory, you're able to run that much harder after whatever it is God has called you to.
That's right - you can show up as a mom better when you take care of your body. You can serve the local church better when you take care of your body. You can walk and share the gospel with more people when you take care of your body. You can show up to your workplace fully energized and focused to better serve your clients and your team when you take care of your body.
He hasn't asked you to care for your body perfectly or to be perfect in knowledge when it comes to how to do this. All God asks of you is that you set your intention on caring for your body and maximizing this resource for His glory.
Understanding and believing you're called to faithfulness and not perfection frees us from an all-or-nothing mindset towards caring for our bodies. You don't have to know all the things before you can get started. You don't have to do all the habits and all the routines perfectly every single day to be faithful. You just need to set your intention to doing what you can, in the season you're in, to care for this body, whatever body, God has given you to steward for His glory.
