Eble Consults With Churches On Physical/Spiritual Health
By Debbie Eble
June 2009
There are some things so basic and foundational to good physical health, you not only have to start with them, you must return to them over and over again. Posture is one of those things.
As I sit here and type this I am mindful of the fact that I need to have my work surface adjusted to elbow level, with my elbows in close to my body and my arms hanging freely from my shoulders. This keeps me from shrugging my shoulders up toward my ears and creating tension that will lead to very sore neck muscles.
My feet should rest firmly on the ground or a footrest, and my back rest is adjusted to fit the lumbar region of my spine. I then must sit tall, right up off my sitting bones so that my hips, shoulders and ears are in nice alignment.
Keep yourself aligned
Try the standing version. Stand with your feet hip width apart, knees soft, draw your belly button toward your back, then lift your ribcage up, elongating your waist. Next, stretch your arms out to the side, palms up, thumbs back. Press your shoulders down away from your ears, and pull your shoulder blades together. Then lower your arms to your sides without letting your shoulders round forward.
Stretch the top of your head upward; get as tall as you can, stay in this position for some minutes. Keep practicing these positions until they become a natural, comfortable place to be.
Don’t slump!
When you slump over, your chest muscles shorten and your back muscles stretch. You must counteract this by stretching your pecs and strengthen your back. If you don’t work at this, over time you will walk more and more in a slumped over, head forward position that will be very hard to correct. Besides that, when you sit or stand in a slump, you cannot breathe from your diaphragm. And you need that deep breath.
We benefit tremendously when we take the time to mindfully align our physical bodies in daily work. We can breathe deep, we don’t injure our back, our neck feels no strain, and at the end of the day, we are tired, but not hindered in our work.
This applies to our spiritual health as well. There are foundational things that we must come back to over and over again.
Perfect Posturing
As I sit here I am mindful that God is God and I am not. My heart and hands are His and no matter what task I am at, it should be for His praise and glory. My feet firmly planted on the foundation that Christ has laid.
Keep Yourself Aligned
We must daily discipline ourselves to meet with the Master, study His Word, stand up for Truth and walk in a manner worthy of one who is called out.
Don’t Slump
When our lifestyle doesn’t match up with what we confess to believe we walk in the flesh and cause others to stumble. We must counteract this by strengthening our spiritual muscles, practicing love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. We would walk in the spirit and give no room for the flesh.
We benefit tremendously when we take the time to mindfully align our lives with the living God who created us and knows us far better than we know ourselves. When we begin each day with Him, we can breathe easy, we don’t injure others, our joy is not strained and at the end of the day, we are tired but not hindered in our walk.
Hebrews 12:11—No discipline seems enjoyable at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it yields the fruit of peace and righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
Contact Heidi at KNCSB, (800) 984-9092, if you would like to have Debbie speak at a church event on the topic of physical/spiritual health.
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