Something I've Learned Recently

I've got my list and note paper ready. I should grab more lead for my mechanical pencil, and maybe a backup pencil, just in case. I can't take my shower yet, because someone's in the bathroom. I could start loading food and other such things into the car, but I'm not wearing shoes right now and I'm still a little tired. Yet...

One thing I've learned recently is that the body and the spirit do not always have to be at war. The body sometimes wants things that aren't good for the spirit, and the spirit sometimes wants things that aren't good for the body, but that doesn't mean that overcoming and ignoring the one is the best thing to do for the other. We are dual-beings with both bodies and spirits, and they both need each other to be at their best. The trick is to get the two sides of ourselves to work together. To feed and nourish both while not causing harm to either. To strengthen both of them without weakening either of them.

In fantasy worlds, fighters train and strengthen their bodies, while mostly ignoring their spirits. Clerics train and strengthen their spirits while mostly ignoring their bodies. Paladins need to have strong bodies and strong spirits, so they need to find ways to train both of them and to help them work together.

To mimic this, I've been thinking about taking up some form of exercise, probably including push-ups and pull-ups, because I've noticed that my arms are abnormally weak. My legs are strong from biking, but some jogging for cardio could help, too.

Now, all of this seems to only relate to the body, but it's also directly linked to a part of my spirit - my will-power. Can I will myself to do one more push-up or pull-up? Can I will myself to keep jogging just a little longer? Can I will myself to exercise regularly, rather than getting tired of it and giving up? Recording my progress could help to continue working on it and to also help foster improvement - that is, to give me motivation to feed my spirit and will-power. With both physical strength and spiritual will-power working together, I can become much stronger than I'd be if a merely had a strong body or a strong will. That counts for physical things, and it may also count for spiritual things. At the very least, exercising my spirit and will-power will increase my ability to resist temptation.

I've learned that "the natural man" we're supposed to overcome doesn't refer to our bodies. Our bodies are fine. They're gifts from God. When we break them, God helps us fix them. When lose them, God gives them back to us as good as new. God wants us to have our bodies. They're not evil. We just need to learn how to take care of them and control them. They may even help us in some grand spiritual way that I couldn't begin to understand. God has a body, and it's part of what makes Him who He is. We, wanting to be like Him, were willing to leave heaven temporarily to get bodies, and He gave us the opportunity to do that. I think God wants us to have bodies, not just to help us exercise our will-power (though that may be a big part of His plan), but also to serve some purpose I don't yet understand, and may never understand in mortality.

I need to get my body and my spirit to stop being so antagonistic toward each other. I am one being. A multi-faceted, but singular being. My arms and legs don't work against each other. Neither should my body and spirit. It's time to "pull myself together," so to speak, and get every part of me working together toward common goals. If I can get myself to work together, I may be able to accomplish them.