I am beyond excited to talk about this topic, because it has been near and dear to my heart recently. If you know me well, you know I like exercising and going to the gym. Even though it can be so hard to get out of bed to go, or to go right after a long school day, I enjoy learning how to push myself, and how to stay focused on a goal for long periods of time. And as I’ve gone through this tough but rewarding journey, God has really taught me a lot about it all. He has taught me a lot about motivation and modesty, because these are two things that really can make a follower of Jesus stand out amongst a selfish and busy world.
Motivations
Recently, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about all of the different motivations for going to the gym. People go for different reasons: some train for a sport, some want to feel more energetic, some go because a friend encouraged them to go with them, and some go because they want to look “good”. I originally started to help improve my athletics, but even now with tennis being over, I still find myself enjoying this routine that keeps my body and mind healthy. Everything that you do has a motivation, whether it be internal or external. These motivations guide our actions and show our true heart posture, whether it be good or bad.
Godly motivations:
Take care of our body
Improve mental health
Learn discipline + accountability
Be able to serve others easier
Selfish motivations:
Looking “good”
Being able to show off/flex
Get attention (mostly from the opposite sex)
This is just a short list of different motivations to go to the gym, and you can see how different they are. The first group is focused on God, and honoring what He has blessed us with. The second group is self-seeking, and only focuses on what will benefit that person. Even if you do not announce to the whole gym why you are exercising, people will know based on your actions (Luke 6:44). For example, instead of flexing in the mirror in between every set, take time to pray and thank God for giving you a healthy body, and ask him to keep you safe and healthy during that day’s lift. Little things like this turn your heart posture towards the Lord, and take the focus away from yourself. This is so important, because we are called to be set apart, and so everything that we do should look backwards to the world. This looks like focusing on God’s will for our lives and being obedient to Him, rather than doing what will satisfy us or what will make us look good to the rest of the world.
One verse that is well-known amongst fitness enthusiasts is 1 Timothy 4:8: ““For while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.” Even though it is good to keep our body healthy, there are things that are infinitely more important than that. Our bodies will not last when we get to heaven, so if all you do with your life is focus on making your earthly body look good, you will find yourself empty-handed when you get to heaven. Your priorities instead should be on training yourself for the spiritual battles you are promised to face, and to grow the kingdom of God, and everything else comes second.
So, I would encourage you to take a minute and think of something you do often: it could be a hobby, sport, lifting, a fine art, or even little everyday things. List your motivation to do it, and what keeps you going. Who does that benefit?
If you are doing it simply for yourself, that is displaying a selfish, worldly view, and you need to bring that heart posture back to God. It is hard, but that is what will bear Godly fruit in your life.
Modesty
I learned that your motivation for going to the gym (or really for anything you do) is going to be reflected in your process of doing that thing. And for me, that is where modesty comes into play. For example, if you go to the gym simply to look better and show off, then it makes sense to wear clothes that are short, tight, and/or revealing. However, God calls us as Christians to be set apart, which means that our motivations, and therefore our modesty, should be different. Instead of pursuing self-glorifying motivations, our motivations should point back to Christ and our faith.
I used to hate whenever people talked about modesty, because it just felt controlling, but the more I learned about it, the more I came to appreciate it, even if it can be a little annoying sometimes. Modesty isn’t just what we wear, it’s also why we wear it. If you are wearing tiny little shorts to show off your glutes, or a sports bra during all your workouts, it shows your motivations for being there. However, if you are wearing a long t-shirt and athletic shorts, it will also reveal your reason for being there. If you exercise to take care of your body, learn discipline, and improve your mental health, then there is no reason to show off and expose your body to everyone around you. In fact, it will seem very backwards to the world to exercise while fully clothed and covered up (again, we are called to be set apart!).
I never really struggled with wanting people to see my body, but that doesn’t mean I don’t struggle with modesty. I dress for practicality in the gym, and whatever is easiest to move around in. While that is okay while I am working out at home with nobody to see me, it is very different when I am in a public space. Just because your heart isn’t focused on showing off, doesn’t mean that you can still be immodest. For example, I like to wear tighter shorts on leg days, so that the fabric doesn’t bunch up and become uncomfortable during squats or other leg exercises. Even though I don’t want people to take that as me being immodest, I do have to take into account what it looks like to other people, and that is something that I have been recently convicted to change.
I’ve already said this, but I want this to be something that really sticks in your brain: dressing modestly at the gym will shock people. If you look at fitness influencers on Instagram, or walk into any gym, you will not see modesty. People that have fit bodies are the first ones to show it off, and that usually means wearing as little clothes as possible. Dressing modestly will not only show that our body is a temple, and not something that can be mistreated, but it also will show that you are not there to appease your flesh.
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If you are somebody who goes to a gym, or is active in any sport, I hope that these are things that you can keep at the back of your mind. Even if you are not an extremely physically active person, these lessons can transfer to so many other parts of life. Your heart attitude is more important to God than your physical actions, which means that finding the reason you do things is so crucial to bearing good fruit.
Thanks again for giving up your time to read what I have to say, and I can’t wait to hop right back into our word study series! Until next time <3
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