Made to Move, Made to Worship

I’ve worked in the gym and fitness industry for 12 years, and I’ve had many conversations about how fitness and faith fit together. It’s a subject close to my heart, because I believe our bodies matter to God.

The Bible doesn’t tell us to go to the gym or follow a workout plan. It does, however, invite us to see ourselves as God’s creation. In Psalm 139, David praises God for forming him and knowing him so deeply. That reminds me that my body is more than something to measure, improve or criticise. It is part of a life God has given me.

I’ve seen how easily exercise can become tangled up with appearance. We can start believing that if we reach a certain weight, shape or level of fitness, we’ll finally feel good enough. I’ve felt that pressure too. Yet our worth was never waiting at the end of a workout.

I want to approach movement with gratitude instead. These are the hands I can lift in praise and use to serve someone. This is the voice I can use to sing and encourage others. These are the legs that carry me through an ordinary day, or out for a run where I can talk to Jesus. Psalm 149:3 even speaks of praising God through dancing. Movement can be joyful.

One of my favourite accounts of Jesus is His encounter with the man born blind in John 9:1–7. Jesus makes mud, places it on the man’s eyes and tells him to wash. I’m struck by how physical and personal that moment is. Jesus sees the man and meets him where he is. It reminds me that the physical parts of our lives are not beneath God’s attention.

Of course, caring for our bodies includes rest. Some days it may mean a Pilates session or a walk. Other days it may mean slowing down, eating well or letting ourselves recover. 1 Timothy 4:8 recognises that physical training has value, while placing our life with God at the centre. I find that balance freeing.

That is part of my heart for Pilates with Jesus. I want it to be a space where women can move without pressure to look a certain way; where we can notice what our bodies can do, listen to what they need and give thanks to the One who made us. We can come as we are, whether we feel strong or tired, confident or unsure.

My prayer is that as we move, sing, dance, rest and serve, there will be less striving to prove ourselves and more room for God. We are wonderfully made, deeply known and already loved.

A question to reflect on: What might change if you approached movement this week as an opportunity for gratitude, rather than a way to earn your worth?