Physical and Spiritual Connection

This blog post is probably not going to interest everybody. Some people don't like hearing about faith. Well here's a disclaimer: This post involves info about my faith. Here is another disclaimer: I am not trying to chastise ANYBODY! I just want to present some information that you may or may not have ever thought of and you can do with it what you want.
Anyways, I've been thinking about the connection between the physical well being and the spiritual well being of ones self. I could be wrong, but I've come to the conclusion that you can't neglect either one if you want to be your best version of yourself in either. Neglect your physical well being and it'll affect your spiritual well being and visa versa.
Let's compare it to a  high performance vehicle. A high performance vehicle needs different types of fuel. Higher quality oil and gasoline. Now let's pretend that gas=spiritual fuel and oil=physical fuel. If you take a Lamborghini, and you fill it up with high octane gas but then you put cheap low grade oil in it, it is going to perform MUCH worse than if you were to give it what it's designed to have. Not only that, it's going to wear out much quicker and you'll need to be replacing parts much sooner. Same goes if you give it good oil but crappy gas. Our souls are EXACTLY the same in comparison. I can study the scriptures and try to help others all day long but if I'm neglecting my own physical well being, then it DIRECTLY affects my spiritual well being. How many other ways could I help others if I were physically fit (to the best of my ability)? How much of an effect would my physical health have on my confidence and sense of well being. Don't you think that would have an impact on the type of energy I send out into the world? Wouldn't my general attitude change? If so, how much more of a positive impact could I have on the world if I were sending out positive loving energy to the world? On the other hand, what if all I ever do is exercise and eat healthy food but I never try to feed my spiritual self? Can I really grow spiritually if the only thing I am doing is something that only affects me? My only focus in that case would be me! How can I help others if I'm only focused on helping me?
The truth is, if I want to be MY BEST SELF, I need to feed BOTH sides of my health (among other things). I need to strengthen my understanding of all things spiritual but I ALSO need to strengthen my body (to whatever capacity I'm able). In a lot of personal development books, they talk about the situation in an airplane that is going to crash. The oxygen masks drop out of the ceiling and you're directed to FIRST get your OWN mask on before helping the people sitting next to you...even if it is your own children! Why? Because what good in helping others survive are you if you are unconscious and dying? We need to take care of ourselves so we can better help others!
There is a talk by Jorg Klabingat that was given in the October 2014 general conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints that I'm going to paste into this blog...not the whole thing, just the part that pertains to what I'm talking about. The link to the entire talk is here. I highly recommend everyone listen to it...it's amazing. Here is the part I'm talking about:

1. Take responsibility for your own spiritual well-being. Stop blaming others or your circumstances, stop justifying, and stop making excuses for why you may not be fully striving to be obedient. Accept that you are “free according to the flesh” and “free to choose liberty and eternal life” (2 Nephi 2:27). The Lord knows your circumstances perfectly, but He also knows perfectly well whether you simply choose not to fully live the gospel. If that is the case, be honest enough to admit it, and strive to be perfect within your own sphere of circumstances. Spiritual confidence increases when you take responsibility for your own spiritual well-being by applying the Atonement of Jesus Christ daily.

2. Take responsibility for your own physical well-being. Your soul consists of your body and spirit (see D&C 88:15). Feeding the spirit while neglecting the body, which is a temple, usually leads to spiritual dissonance and lowered self-esteem. If you are out of shape, if you are uncomfortable in your own body and can do something about it, then do it! Elder Russell M. Nelson has taught that we should “regard our body as a temple of our very own” and that we should “control our diet and exercise for physical fitness” (“We Are Children of God,” Ensign, Nov. 1998, 87; Liahona, Jan. 1999, 103).

President Boyd K. Packer has taught “that our spirit and our body are combined in such a way that our body becomes an instrument of our mind and the foundation of our character” (“The Instrument of Your Mind and the Foundation of Your Character” [Church Educational System fireside, Feb. 2, 2003], 2; speeches.byu.edu). Therefore, please use good judgment in what and especially how much you eat, and regularly give your body the exercise it needs and deserves. If you are physically able, decide today to be the master of your own house and begin a regular, long-term exercise program, suited to your abilities, combined with a healthier diet. Spiritual confidence increases when your spirit, with the help of the Savior, is truly in charge of your natural man or woman.

 

I love that last sentence! Learning to control your "natural man or woman" is one of the MOST IMPORTANT AND DIFFICTULT things to do in this life!

 

Also, there is a commandment that LDS people are commanded to follow called "The Word Of Wisdom". Click on that link to read the entire section of scripture that gives the commandment. You'll read about different things to abstain from, and also you'll read about what we SHOULD consume. As a missionary and in just about every sunday school class that I've attended, lessons about the Word Of Wisdom almost always focus on the "What not to do" part. Why? The other part is just as important! It basically spells out how to eat in accordance with the food pyramid! That is JUST AS IMPORTANT!

I believe whole heartedly in the gospel of Jesus Christ. All of it. I'm not perfect. I'm trying to make myself better in every way just like everyone else. This whole blog post isn't an attempt to act like I know better than anyone else or that I'm better than anyone else. I just wanted to point out some things that I rarely hear discussed among people...LDS or not, religious or not. These are things that I think are VERY important! I also want to clarify that there are people that aren't able to do as much because of physical conditions. I have intended for this entire post to be applied only to your PERSONAL situation and to your best ability. Everyone is different and some people (like my wife) aren't able to do a lot of the things that others can to take care of themselves. My wife however, still does everything (probably more than she should) to take care of herself both spiritually and physically that she can. She is the example to me that has brought about my current level of understanding on this topic.

If you feel like you need to make a change in your spiritual well being, I'd love to help you but I suggest you talk to the missionaries in your area. They're totally devoted to that. You can contact them here. If you feel like you need to make a change in your physical well being, I'd LOVE to help you! My contact info is found here. Let me know if there is anything I can do to help!