Book Review of Every Body Matters, by Gary Thomas
Sometimes a book is so good it’s worth a read, a re-read, and then a re-re-read. That’s the case for me with Every Body Matters by Gary Thomas. What makes my third read even better than the first two times is that I'm reading it along with some friends in a wellness group I am a part of called WELL. In WELL we work out together, discuss nutrition, and dive in to God’s Word together to see what the Bible says about wellness.
For some reason, within the church we rarely talk about health and wellness. We allow verses like 1 Timothy 4:7-8 to lead us to prioritize spiritual godliness at the expense of bodily training. And while we should prioritize spiritual godliness, we should not ignore physical wellness. That’s one of the reasons why I love this book. Thomas raises the value to an appropriate level of how we could and should think about the fact that the way we treat our body affects every part of our lives.
Below are some of the highlights of Every Body Matters.
"A lack of physical discipline can undercut and even erode spiritual growth."
Absolutely true as I realize how much my physical wellness affects every part of my life: my energy, my thought life, my ability and desire to play and wrestle with my kids, my willingness to serve my wife, and much more.
"Though exercise and staying in shape requires a lot of work and even regular pain, not being in shape requires its own pains and labors."
I don’t enjoy working out, but I really don’t enjoy the way I feel when I'm overweight and not working out - easily winded, lacking in joy, clothes not fitting, not to mention how badly I feel about myself.
“We need a new relationship with food altogether, seeing it as an asset of life, but not the reason for life."
You may have heard the phrase, “Don’t live to eat, but rather eat to live.” I need this reminder as someone who often endures a workout so that I can receive a food reward or when I succeed in something I automatically assume a feast is the right reward. Rather, eat so that I can have the energy and passion to live for Christ.
“Having a body that easily packs on the pounds can foster a spiritual diligence, discipline, and vigilance that others may lack."
This battle (like all of our struggles) keeps me dependent upon the Lord. Anyone who struggles with food and eating knows this is a war every waking moment of every day. It provides an amazing opportunity for ongoing prayer and dependence upon the Lord.
“Sin can lead us to become overweight, but being overweight is not, in and of itself, a sin."
This just needs to be said since we often either assume a heavy person is a glutton and a skinny person has high self-control. Sometimes true, but not always.
“…overeating dulls me to God’s accepting presence, makes me more vulnerable to other sins, negatively affects my relationships with other people, and robs me of the joy rightfully mine as an adopted, deeply loved, and accepted child of God."
As I shared in Part 2 of the #WellnessWeek series, this struggle affects every part of our lives, including our relationships.
“Your social environment has a tremendous impact on your own journey of either gaining or losing weight….the Bible consistently speaks of the pursuit of holiness in a corporate context (the church) rather than as individual efforts."
Love this application. Who you run with (literally and figuratively) has a huge impact on your wellness, how and where you eat, and how you spend your time. Choose wisely (Proverbs 13:20).
“The initial sacrifice seems so great compared to the minuscule immediate benefits, while the negative consequences seem relatively minor compared to the instant enjoyment of overeating and ignoring exercise. If you have a short-term view, you’re going to give in."
Lord, wherever we fall in this battle - winning, losing, or not even playing right now, please give us all a long term view in this battle, rather than a short-term, time-limited perspective.
“Laziness is the great spiritual assassin of our time…. It kills everything it touches….It puts one’s personal comfort above all else…"
As I wrestle through my sin of overeating and passivity in exercise, I believe it comes down to my desire for comfort and my selfish desires (James 4:1). If I choose to believe that Every Body Matters (including my own) then I need to overcome my lazy tendencies by straining toward what is ahead (Philippians 3:13-15) and putting my comfort aside.
“Getting fit can be an arduous, even painful process. Living fit is filled with much joy."
Even after working out with some consistency the last two months, I will affirm this quote! Getting fit is hard work and takes a lot of effort, time and sacrifice. But, there is great joy in knowing that I've been obedient in stewarding my body the last few months.
“We live in an acceptance-oriented society, where people are more afraid of hurting feelings than speaking the truth in love."
This comes back to one of my points last week in #WellnessWeek where I shared that we don’t know how to talk to one another about wellness. We don’t give each other permission and we don’t really know how to address sinful habits or patterns in how we eat, sleep, or exercise. We’re more concerned with being nice to each other than in addressing sin.
“…please don’t measure success primarily by weight loss. Remember, we’re focusing on becoming stronger spiritually."
Again, Thomas is spot on with this one. I struggle so much by seeking to define success by the number on the scale rather than the wins that come by being faithful, regardless of the three digit number that shows up on the scale.
“Rather than simply wait for sin to attack… attack it. We do this first by going on the offensive.” Thomas goes on to lay out an offensive attack against sin that includes tasting the bitterness of our sin, examining the deceit of our sin, finding a holy substitute and fortifying our soul. Take the time and make the effort to fight sin with the tools God provides.
This might have been my favorite chapter. In this chapter, Thomas lays out an offensive attack to addressing our sins related to the body. Instead of sitting back and allowing sin to attack us, we need to be proactive and address the sins of the body. We need to do all the things I listed above and more. In reality, this is the way we should address any sin pattern in our life.
“Becoming spiritually and physically fit are two ways that we can grow in our inner and outer strength, as well as in our ability and willingness to endure hardship."
This one stands on its own. Hard to argue with this truth.
If you want a greater understanding of what the Bible says about wellness and why we, as the body of Christ, need to be better stewards of our bodies, please read this book. I think it would be a great read for personal reflection and growth, but would be even better to read with a small group so that you can discuss and apply the lessons learned together. This is too good and too important of a book to read and then simply throw it on the shelf and not consider or apply what you learned.
If you’ve been tracking with me this week during #WellnessWeek and you are looking for some great next steps to help sharpen your thinking about wellness, please consider reading Every Body Matters by Gary Thomas. Read it with your spouse, some friends, or listen to it while you work out! I give it my highest recommendation and am so glad to be reading through it for the third time.
Your Turn:
With which quote or lesson above did you most resonate? Comment below, on Facebook or on Instagram.