A TIMELY TOPIC , MARCH 16, 2008:
GETTING IN SHAPE
After a rather busy first of the year following the holiday season, I felt a bit behind in the “getting in shape” department. Like many of us, keeping fit and enjoying recreational activity has been a natural part of the rhythm of my adult life. Lapses from that rhythm have presented me with the daunting task of regaining a level of fitness in order to tackle more demanding athletic events. But I began to wonder if there was more to the equation.
Our church had been preparing for a lecture on March 6 by Ryder Stevens, titled Christian Science: A Light of Revelation. Throughout this time and since, I’ve been thinking about the concept of spiritual light and how it relates to me and to everyone. Coincidentally, the Bible Lesson on Man studied in all Christian Science churches during the week of the lecture, identified man as light. Two passages stood out to me: the first from Ephesians, “…now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light,” and the second, also Paul’s words from the book of 1 Thessalonians, “Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day.”
So there I was with a free day this past week and the idiotic inclination to run a 6.5 mile, roller-coaster circuit after weeks of little or no physical activity. I rationalized that my K-9 running companion deserved the recreation more than I did, so I took off, and was quite relieved to make it back home intact after an exhausting ordeal. The following day, there I was back in the hills on a shorter run trying to make sense of the dilemma of being out of shape. (I do some of my best praying when running or biking.) Suddenly, it occurred to me that my real being wasn’t based in matter at all; it was actually the substance of spiritual light. “How much does light weigh?” I thought, “Nothing!” Then, taking a metaphysical approach, I reasoned that I needed to identify and expunge erroneous beliefs which would weigh me down.
In the aforementioned Bible Lesson, Mary Baker Eddy’s words are referenced where she describes man as reflecting “the beatific presence, illuming the universe with light.” Looking closely at the definition of “beatific,” we find that it describes the expression of utmost bliss or joy. To me this signified a state of buoyancy, of utter weightlessness, free from anxiety, burden, and despondency. This buoyancy has to be more than self-confidence or determination; it has to be faith-based. It has to embody an understanding that God is in loving control of each one of us and of His own universe. This put the spring back into my stride!
There is certainly more to getting in shape than just pounding the pavement or the movement of muscle. Perhaps a good measurement of the merits for any athletic activity is the level of joy that is present, and whatever would steal that joy can be the inertia that holds you back. I like to think that we enjoy athletic activity because we are in shape, to celebrate the freedom and dominion of our spiritual being.
Dean Boesen, Lecture Committee
