By JADE WHITEHURST
As a health and fitness coach, I have the joy of guiding women through their health and fitness journeys by encouraging a godly mindset around the goals they set. Despite that, I began to notice a common thread of struggle that the majority of women had. Most felt awkward or weird taking their goals to God, not because they did not trust in who He is and in His character, but because they struggled with the idea of believing that their goals were a “worthy enough” thing to bring to the feet of Jesus.
You see, as humans we tend to put God in a box without realizing it. We tell God how, when and where He can be God. We fall into this trap of thinking that God only cares about x, y and z, and then the rest, like my fitness goals, are for me to deal with and manage. However, that could not be further from the truth.
God does care about your health and fitness goals, and He does not just care about them, He wants to be Lord over them, too. When we learn to invite Him in, we will see the negative mindset slowly release its grip on us as we flourish in His mercy, grace and love. As a result, you will begin to show up not out of obligation, but out of love for the One who made you.
So let me remind you that caring for ourselves is a way of showing gratitude for who He is and what He did for us on the cross. So yes, He absolutely does care and loves the fact that you desire to be healthy!
Therefore, I want to help equip you with a prayer that you can take to our loving Father as you begin loosening your grip and control on your goals and passing the reins over to Him to help guide you:
Lord, help me to cherish and love the body You gave me. Help me to keep godly goals and break every stronghold that is holding me captive. From the negative mindset to the fear of failure to the tendency to compare myself to others. I pray, God, that You will help me discern my choices and align them to Your truth. Help remind me to live by Your biblical standards and not the world’s.
Most of all, God, I pray that this health journey that I am on honors You and this temple You blessed me with. Remove any self-doubt that clouds my heart and vision, and replace it with Your Holy Spirit power. Teach me to view food not as the enemy but as a beautiful gift from You – a gift that You established for us in the very beginning of time to enjoy. Most importantly, God, teach me to hunger and feast off of Your Word more, so that I can truly experience the fullness of Your goodness. Amen.
Jade Whitehurst is a wife, mom, fitness coach and eighth-grade science teacher. You can follow her on Instagram @jadewhitehurst_fit (aka The Faith Fit Mom).
